Just a Summer Thing
by xo.Kyorii
Summary: "Hun, please. You're on vacation. For two months. He doesn't have to see you again after this, and he probably won't. He doesn't want to make you happy; he just wants to make his jock happy. It's just a summer thing. Trust me." - S x K
1. Prologue

**J**u_s_t a **S** u m _m_ e r **T**hin_g_. ©

**x**_o_ . **K**yori_i_

**Description:** "Hun, please. You're on vacation. For two months. He doesn't have to see you again after this, and he probably won't. He doesn't want to make y_ou_ happy; he just wants to make his jock happy. It's just a summer thing. Trust me." - S x K

**Fandom:** Kingdom Hearts  
><strong>Main Pairing:<strong> Sora x Kairi  
><strong>Genre:<strong> Romance/ Humor  
><strong>Rating:<strong> T  
><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> I don't own Kingdom Hearts or Final Fantasy. Shoutout to all the Squenix fans who wish they did !

**Since Teenage Wasteland is nearing its end, I figured that I should give you guys a taste of what you should be expecting next ;) Consider it a late holiday gift because of my near two-month absence. SoKai won the poll, so I guess I'm staying faithful to them :D Hope you enjoy the first chapter/prologue! And if you're a new reader, welcome and pleased to meet your acquaintance :)**

* * *

><p><strong>one<strong>

.

Prologue

.

_"What you two had... it was just a summer thing."_

.

His heart raced. His blood boiled. His throat burned.

This couldn't be happening.

**Ten.**

He crumpled the letter in his hands and tossed it into the fireplace. He had never felt so betrayed. So hurt. How could they? His so-called 'lover'? His own best friend? So much for camaraderie.

As the heartbreaking words written in neat calligraphy burned before him, he decided his next move. Almost immediately, he bolted out the door towards the hallway.

**Nine.**

"Wait, Sora, stop!" cried his twin brother from the doorway. "You don't know what you're doing!" Seeing that he wasn't listening, the blond forcefully grabbed his brother's wrist. "Sora!"

"Let go, Roxas," warned Sora sternly, bangs covering his eyes.

"Don't do this to her. Not again," Roxas pleaded.

"She needs to know." Sora released his hand from his brother's grasp and continued down the carpeted hall towards the elevators. Roxas merely sighed and ran a nervous hand through his unruly spikes and watched his brother walk off to his possible doom.

**Eight.**

_Floor 8_

_Ding!_

Sora groaned as the elevator came to a stop on the eighth floor, opening its doors for a new passenger. This passenger, however, was no stranger to him.

As if he read the brunet's mind, the young man simply said, "Roxas called."

"That blasted fool," growled Sora, "I hope you know that there is nothing you can say or do that will make me go back up to that suite. We both know that this elevator can only go one way, and that way is down."

"Not if I can get you out on another floor and force you back up."

Sora raised a sharp brow. "Are you challenging me, Axel?"

He shrugged. "Maybe." His usually seductive green eyes suddenly narrowed. "Listen. I can't let you do this to my cousin. I'm getting you back up to Roxas whether you like it or not."

Sora rubbed his temples and sighed. He had to decide at once. "Forgive me."

"Forgi-" Before Axel finished, his left cheek met with Sora's right hook.

**Seven.**

"Subject has gotten past the pyromaniac," a female voice informed thorugh her headset.

_"What?" _came the staticy, angry voice of Roxas from the other line. _"How?"_

Through the transparent walls of the elevator, the female's male companion could faintly make out Axel falling to the ground. Sora was rubbing his knuckles and looking around for any witnesses discreetly.

"He got punched in the face," said the male companion, face void of all emotion.

_"Oh my goodness..."_

"Maybe we should just let him go, Roxas," the female sympathetically suggested.

_"Girl, puh-lease. Don't let your girly soap operas get the better of you. You know what's happening tonight. We have to put a stop to him before he actually sees it or at least stall him long enough until it's done. I'm counting on you two, Olette."_

_Call ended._

Olette sighed and tucked her phone back in the front pocket of her skinny jeans. "Hayner, it's our turn."

"Let's hope we don't end up like Axel," muttered the blond. The couple approached the elevator as if they were approaching a hobo with tourettes.

"Oh, not you too," groaned the brunet. Sora's eyes rolled as he stepped out of the elevator and into the foyer, leaving Axel's limp body on the ground.

"Sor-myster, fancy meeting you here," Hayner greeted in an atrociously obvious tone. To quicken the pace, Sora merely cracked his knuckles. The two immediately stepped out of his way. When Ventus and Vanitas blocked the entrance doors, they were immediately punched in the crotch.

**Six.**

The instant Sora stepped out into the chilly December air of downtown, Twilight Town, he was met with a loud _**boom**_ from the sky. Fireworks.

_Pneww... bsshh!_

It was as if he was experiencing pathetic fallacy in a movie. Loud, exploding fireworks matched with his loud, exploding emotions.

The streets were absolutely _packed_ with people of all ages. Sora had a hard time cutting through all of them, but that didn't stop him. He was determined to reach _her_ if it was the last thing he'd do -and, given the circumstances, it might as well be.

**Five.**

"Five!" chanted the crowd with their glow sticks, phones, toy lights and candles raised to the heavens.

Five. Time. He was running out of time.

**Four.**

He was so close to his destination, so close to the center of the city until two women purposely pushed themselves in his way. The shorter one began speaking quickly with unecessary hand gestures. "Sora, Sora, no, you can't do this to her-"

"Move, Selphie!" he demanded. He caught a glimpse of the other girl and coughed in disbelief. It was Roxas' fiancee. "Namine? Why?"

The look of guilt was clearly plastered across her face. "I'm-"

"Back off, Sora. Don't ruin this for her," interrupted Selphie with a venomous tone. "What you two had was-"

"- more than what everyone thought it would be. More than what _I_ thought it would be. You _know_ how I feel. How _she_ feels." Sora choked and gasped for air. "Please. You both know who's better for her."

Before they could protest, a heartbroken Sora pushed them out of the way and immediately regretted doing so afterward.

**Three.**

Before him was_ them_.

_Her. _The so-called lover.

And _him_. The best friend.

_He_ was currently down on one knee, flashing the world's most impressive engagement ring in front of _her_. And she... she was just... she was just freaking_ beautiful_.

Her pink dress, her crystal eyes, her painfully happy expression, her _soul_...

He was such a fool.

**Two.**

_Well don't just stand there, idiot. Say something._ His heart clenched as_ they _were featured on the big screen on the tallest building of downtown. The cameras zoomed in on her teary, beautiful face. Of course only _he_ could afford such a luxury. But for the record, Sora knew that _she_ thought this was way too over the top. _She_ didn't want this.

_Say something!_

**One.**

It dawned upon him that he was too late when she responded with the most heartbreaking word of his life.

"Yes."

And she looked so incredibly _happy_ saying it to _him_.

**"HAPPY NEW YEAR!"**

He stood frozen as _he_ spun _her _in _his_ arms as confetti fell from the star-filled sky. He had one hand outstretched as if to reach out to her, but it was plain to see that there was no way of reaching her now. She was too far.

It was over now.

_They_ were over now.

His life, as he knew it, was over now.

"I told you, Sora," Came Selphie's 'I told you so' voice and Namine's reassuring hand on his shoulder. "What you two had... it was just a summer thing."

_xo Kyorii presents..._ **  
><strong>It's Just A Summer Thing

* * *

><p><strong>Well that was rather overdramatic (lol), but trust me when I say that there is a very good reason for that. When this part comes around again, it will all make sense. For some of you that are confused, this segment takes place in the future. The following chapters will be the events leading up to this moment and more. The plot, in a nutshell, revolves around Sora and Kairi's 'summer thing' matched with twists, adventure, romance and a lot of humor to come.<strong>

**So, I hope you liked that short chapter/preview, because there's more to come! The second chapter is very close to finishing, so stay tuned! And don't worry TW fans, with exams out of the way, I should have a bit more writing time than usual :) I hope this will satisfy you as much as Teenage Wasteland did and, hopefully, it can be almost (if not just) as successful with your support!**

**Stay safe guys! I'll try and update asap!**

**xoKyorii**


	2. Fight or Flight

**two**

.

** Fight **or _Flight_

.

_"If I open the closet, am I gonna end up in Narnia?"_

.

Kairi had intentions for her summer vacation. Good intentions.

Having fun was one of them.

Helping her cousin with her love life was another.

But waking up next to an incredibly cute shirtless guy in a room that she had never seen before was definetely _not_ one of them.

_Oh my gosh. _She felt as if her heart was going to fall out of her chest. _Oh my gosh._

What the _hell _happened last night?

**Name:** Kairi Lovelace Caelum  
><strong>Age:<strong> Sweet 16 :)  
><strong>Birthdate:<strong> September 14th  
><strong>Sex:<strong> Female, last time I checked...  
><strong>Hometown: <strong>Destiny Islands  
><strong>Orientation: <strong>Straight  
><strong>Laterality: <strong>Right-handed  
><strong>Relationship Status:<strong> Single  
><strong>Occupation: <strong>Currently jobless  
><strong>Hobbies: <strong>Swimming, volleyball, music, video games... anything fun, really. I'm up for everything :)

She was going to die. She was totally going to die. If not now, then Noctis and Stella would surely have her head when she got home.

What was she thinking? What had she gotten herself into? She was _sixteen!_ How could she have been so foolish? What was she going to do now? Why hadn't Namine come looking for her? What did she and this... this _dude_ do yesterday?

_Breathe._ Kairi commanded herself. _Breathe._ A glimpse at the boy's lightly toned abs caused her heart to race again. _Bre- oh my gosh. Oh my GOSH._

Who the hell was this guy, anyway? He looked oddly familiar.

Then it clicked.

Yesterday. She saw him yesterday. Well, obviously. Otherwise, they wouldn't have ended up sleeping in the same bed as they were now. She felt like wretching at the way that came out. But she saw him yesterday morning for sure. Early. Around nine in the morning. Like now.

_That's good, Kairi. Start from the beginning. Put the pieces together. Breath. Good. Okay. You can do this. Yesterday morning. Go._

**24 hours ago, Caelum Mansion**

Sixteen-year-old Kairi Caelum stood in front of a pair of fancily made gates that towered 15 feet over her 5'2 figure. They were probably made of adamantite, the sturdiest, most expensive metal in the galaxy. The name **Caelum** was written in neat golden calligraphy overtop black marble on the white pilar that held the intercom.

_Should I go or not? _thought Kairi nervously. Was it right to take advantage of such kindness from her extremely wealthy family? _Well, it's just a vacation_. _It's not like it's going to make a huge difference, right? _She sighed._ Choices, choices. _

"Wha-ow!"

A boy (he was around her age, if not older) rose from the pavement, hurriedly picked up his scattered flowers, muttered a few curses, boarded his skateboard and disappeared down the street within seconds after spitting an obnoxious, "Watch where you're going, idiot!" in her direction. She didn't get a good look at him, but Kairi saw enough to conclude that he was very attractive. Attractive, but definetely a troublemaker. The band-aid on his cheek said as much. He probably got it from a fist fight or something. And the flowers? Those were probably for his girlfriend... of the week. He also seemed like a douche. Like really, he told _her _to watch where she was going? For the record, _she_ was the one standing still and _he_ was the one who knocked into her via skateboard.

"Cute, huh?" came the teasing voice that could only belong to her cousin Axel behind her.

**Name:** Axel Caelum Flamen, got it memorized?  
><strong>Age:<strong> Legal. Lol, I'm 19.  
><strong>Birthdate: <strong>July 8  
><strong>Sex:<strong> Dude. Want proof?  
><strong>Hometown:<strong> Twilight T baby  
><strong>Orientation:<strong> Okay, I like women, but some idiot spread this rumor that I'm gay for my best friend Roxas. Once I find this idiot, I'm eating their first born child. So just to get things straight, I'm STRAIGHT. But I'll admit that Roxas is pretty sexy.  
><strong>Laterality:<strong> What the f*** is that?  
><strong>Relationship Status:<strong> In an open relationship. Get at me.  
><strong>Occupation:<strong> Teppanyanki chef, fire dancer... I like fire :3  
><strong>Hobbies: <strong>Is this rated T? Yeah? Okay, I can't answer this.

"Didn't act very cute," Kairi spat.

"Really? He's not usually like that," informed Axel as he began unloading Kairi's luggages from his car.

Her nose wrinkled. "You know him?"

Axel chuckled. "Know him? I'm practically a brother to him. His name's Sora. Expect to see him a lot. His brother Roxas is Namine's... 'special friend'."

After hiding her disgust, Kairi lowered her white rimmed sunglasses with her jaw agape. "Namine's _special friend_? Just how _special_ is this _friend_? Why haven't I heard about this?"

"Trust me when I say that you do not want to know," groaned Axel. "It's far too complicated, even for your girly little brain. Maybe Namine can tell you."

"All right." After that, Kairi asked no further questions and helped her pyromaniac of a cousin haul her bags toward the gate.

"State your name," asked a lazy voice from the intercom.

"Reno!" Axel joyfully exclaimed, "it's your favourite little brother!"

"Axel, you're my only little brother."

"Which, by default, makes me your favourite. Now open the gate. The princess has arrived." A loud _**beep**_ was heard before the elaborately designed gates opened automatically. A worker by the name of Cissnei drove in their direction in a golf cart and began loading the back with Kairi's things. Axel sprawled himself over the two seats in the back, making himself comfortable.

"So this is the famous Kairi," the ginger lady aknowledged when she was finished. "Namine was right. You are pretty."

Kairi blushed and bowed. "Thank you ma'am."

She blinked twic., "Ma'am? Now there's something you'll never hear from Axel. I like you better than him already."

Axel scoffed. "Bitch please. I rock your world."

It took forty seconds to get to the front of the house. Forty whole seconds. In Kairi's bungalow back home, it took five seconds just to cross the driveway and get to the door. But here, it was necessary to pass what seemed like a kilometer freshly cut green grass, a row of dumbapple trees, a huge fountain and flowers so bright that it was painful to the eyes. On Destiny Islands, there was sand. End of story.

"Hey, I know I'm sexy, but I'd appreciate it if you stopped oggling and get inside. Namine's been waiting for you," reminded Axel with a wink.

Kairi shoved him lightly. "As if." Just as she was about to help Cissnei with her bags, she noticed four formally dressed men already lugging them inside. "Hey, I can-"

"They get paid per bag, sweetheart. Let it go," informed Axel. While he skipped up the steps, Kairi remained frozen in place. "Kai-" His mouth slowly dropped open in realization. "That's right. You haven't been here before." He took her silence as a 'yes'. "Personally, I think it reminds me too much of Twilight, but-"

"Axel?"

"Yeah?"

"You're ruining it."

Axel raised his hands in surrender. "Sorry. Sheesh."

With Axel out of her hair, Kairi took the time to analyze her temporary home. For two months, she would be living in this modern abode. Mansion, building, heaven, and epitome of awesomeness could substitute for abode if so desired, too. The entire exterior was a clean white save the glass panels that served as windows. Much could be said just from those windows. Just from where she stood, Kairi counted ten chandeliers. With her jaw still agape, Kairi skipped up the last few steps and walked inside the guarded double doors.

"Holy..."

It was one thing to _see_ the inside, but to actually _be_ inside was a completely different story. It was like walking into a Swarovski store. Black flooring so clean you could see your reflection, red walls, pin lights, expensive crystal stuff all over the place, etc. And that was just the hallway. Tch, Axel was way off. Screw Twilight, this was the sh-

"Kairi!" shrieked a girl from the end of the hall. When a familiar blonde girl turned the corner and came running toward her, Kairi's face immediately lit up.

**Name:** Namine Fleuret Caelum  
><strong>Age:<strong> 16  
><strong>Birthdate: <strong>May 6th  
><strong>Sex:<strong> Female  
><strong>Hometown:<strong> Twilight Town  
><strong>Orientation:<strong> Straight  
><strong>Laterality:<strong> Right-handed  
><strong>Relationship Status:<strong> I... It's complicated...  
><strong>Occupation:<strong> Jobless  
><strong>Hobbies: <strong>Sketching, painting, drawing... art is my passion :)

"NAMI!" Kairi shrieked with equal verve. The instant she outstretched her arms, her favourite cousin threw herself into them. Namine was usually a quiet girl, but Kairi's mere presence was enough to change that.

"I missed you _so_ much!" squealed Namine.

"I missed you too!"

"Augh," Axel came walking in with his fingers plugged in his ears. "I'm surprised you two haven't broken anything yet."

Namine paid no mind to him and continued, "I'm so excited that you finally get to spend summer vacation here!"

"Got tired of summers on Destiny Islands already, Namine?" Kairi teased.

The blonde pouted. "Of course not! I'm just excited that you'll finally get to meet some of my friends." Honestly, Kairi never took Namine as the social type, but she figured that the military kids here liked to stick together.

"Speaking of friends," started Kairi slyly, "Axel tells me you have a... 'special' friend?"

Namine's face flushed. She was so obvious. That was one thing Kairi loved about Namine; she couldn't hide anything. "Ah, Roxas, well, he, um..."

"Namine," came a sweet voice from the end of the hall, "Kairi's had a long flight. Maybe you should help her settle in first."

"Aunt Stella!" Kairi beamed. "Nice to see you again. Thank you for letting me spend the summer here."

Stella Fleuret, the world famous fashion designer, was Kairi's aunt. Her name itself had high class fashion designer written all over it. Her partner, Noctis Caelum, was a retired first-class SOLDIER. But no worries. He runs Caelum Industries now, the extremely successful industry dedicated to building better technology for society. No biggie.

"It's no problem at all, dear. Just make yourself at home. If there's anything you need, just ask anyone in the house, our family inclusive." After offering her niece a hug, Stella disappeared down the hallway. It was clear to any human eye that Namine definetely took after her mother. Save the age difference, they could be twins.

"So I guess I'll take you up to your room now?" asked Stella Jr. while twiddling her thumbs.

"Sure." Kairi then turned her attention towards her other cousin. He was currently checking himself out on the glass of a display case. She cleared her throat.

"What?" Axel asked.

"What are you going to do?"

"Oh, I guess I'll just hand around here and wait for Roxas." Namine stiffened. "He is coming, right Nams?"

"Yeah, but he's coming to pick us up later," she responded.

"Us?" Kairi asked. "Are we going somewhere?"

"Only to the hottest party of the summer!" Axel answered with a fist pump. "You know that new hotshot actor, Riku Masamune? He's a childhood friend of the host. He's shooting a film here in Twilight Town, so we're giving him a nice little welcome party. Well, 'nice' and 'little' isn't exactly going to do it justice. I'm not gonna lie. It's gonna be one hell of a party."

In those few sentences alone, there was a lot to take in. First, Namine was going to a party. Oh man. Second, she _just_ got to Twilight Town half an hour ago, and she was already invited to one of the hottest parties of the summer. Third, Namine was going to a party. Fourth, the host of the party _knew_ Riku Masamune. They were _bros_. But last but not least, it was the hotshot actor himself. Riku Masamune.

Riku Masamune. Where does she even begin with Riku Masamune? Well, for one, he was probably the most attractive guy in the galaxy. Tall, lush silver hair, perfectly chiseled muscles, **abs**, breathtaking aquamarine eyes; the list was endless. He was talented. Funny. Mysterious. The total package. But what Kairi loved the most was that _she knew him_.

She knew Riku Masamune. Personally. They were tight before. Tighter than spandex. It wasn't until he moved away that they lost their 'tightness'. They still kept in touch, but not as much due to his flourishing acting career. It had been five years since she last saw him. She wondered what he would think if he saw her tonight.

"Riku Masamune, huh?" Kairi felt her heart skip a beat. Childhood crushes died hard. There was another boy, though. Another boy that she liked before Riku, but he was long gone before Riku left. She couldn't even remember his name. She remembered his eyes, though. Blue. As blue as blue could get.

"So I'll see you two at the party then?" asked Axel. Namine responded for the both of them. When their cousin was escorted outside, Namine gave Kairi a sly look.

"What?" The redhead asked.

Namine crossed her arms. "Nothing. Are you excited?"

"Yeah, but... I won't know anyone there," Kairi confessed.

"So Riku is suddenly a stranger now?" Deer in headlights. That's what Kairi was at that very moment.

"I'll make you a deal," Kairi offered quickly, "I won't pester you about this 'Roxas' if you don't ask questions about Riku."

"Good deal," Namine confirmed said deal with a hand shake. "Now let's get you to your room. Stairs or elevator?"

Of course there was an elevator. "Stairs."

* * *

><p>The third floor, where every bedroom was situated, was like every other floor in the house. White walls, sleek hardwood floors, modern furniture, hologram technology, pin lights and framed paintings made by Namine herself on the walls. The only exception was the second floor, where the walls were red. The interior designer must have made a fortune.<p>

"So my parent's room is the one at the very end of the hall, we each have our own bathroom, my room is here on the right and to the left is-" Before Namine could finish, the owner of said room opened the door.

"Kairi," he greeted with a nod.

"Hey Cloud."

Cloud Strife Caelum. Namine's oldest and only sibling. He was nineteen and, Kairi forced herself to say _cute_, because he was her cousin, and anything beyond cute would have just been considered creepy. While his eyes and hair came from his mother, the rest definetely came from his father, down to the way they struggled to show emotion. Like now. To a normal person, his expression read "GTFO", but to family, it was something much nicer. Hopefully.

"How's the SOLDIER plan coming along?" asked Kairi.

"Good." He paused abruptly before adding, "I leave for boot camp in a few weeks."

"Oh... have fun."

"Yeah, you too." The door closed afterward. Clearly sarcasm did not work well with him.

"That's him when he's excited. Trust me," said Namine, trying to brighten up the mood. "So right across from my room is yours. Ready?"

Kairi was expecting something simple. White walls, a bed, possibly a used desk somewhere in the corner. She was ready for that.

What she _wasn't_ ready for was the real deal.

The door Namine opened led to a whole new world. A whole new world covered in pink, purple, gold, and happiness. Her canopy bed was circular, its curtains a soft, thin gold, the pillows hot pink and the covers a deep purple. A velvet couch with armrests elaborately carved to perfection was placed at the tip. Her bags were placed on top. The dark hardwood floor was covered in carpets imported from various worlds. The windows shared the same gold curtains as the bed. Pinlights were placed equidistant from each other on the ceiling and a chandelier housing white jewels shone in the center. An aquarium was built up against the wall next to her work desk and solid gold bookshelf in the corner. And last but definetely not least, a 50-inch plasma screen was strategically placed on the wall across the bed with gaming systems, video games and movies lined across a coffee table on the bottom. A door leading to her own personal bathroom was to the right of the TV. On the left was probably her closet.

Kairi sighed. This was overkill. "Please don't tell me you did this just because I was coming."

Namine shrugged with a guilty smile. "Well, this was originally supposed to be my room, but I wanted something simpler, so I just made a few homey touches for your arrival."

"Was the aquarium really necessary?"

"Just in case you suffered from homesickness."

"And the PlayStation?"

"It's Cloud's, but since he's leaving soon, you can have it for now. I know how much you love video games." That one comment was enough for Kairi to break.

"Well, in that case..." Without hesitation, Kairi ran for the bed and jumped face first toward the pillows. It felt like a cloud. A moving cloud. "It _spins?"_

"Yes. You can change the speed, too." Namine adjusted a knob on the wall to demonstrate.

"Oh my gosh," Kairi sighed lovingly into her bed, "I feel like a princess."

"Well, your highness, would you like to start unpacking? We have a party to get to in a few hours."

"About that... I don't have anything to wear," Kairi shyly admitted. All she packed were t-shirts, shorts, and, you know, the necessities needed for a simple summer vacation. With Namine around, she never expected to attend any social events, let alone a party.

Namine attempted to stifle her laughter but failed. "Why don't we let your closet be the judge of that?"

Kairi's mouth dropped open, "If I open the closet, am I gonna end up in Narnia?"

"No, but I'm certain it will be just as magical," she winked.

Kairi opened the door the second Namine gestured for her to open it. She was expecting a regular sized walk in closet with empty hangers, but since her expectations hadn't been very dependable as of late, maybe a free dress from her beloved cousin would be thrown in there as well. But when she opened the door, all she saw were-

"Stairs?" Kairi gave Namine a quizzical look. Namine nodded and led the way. After two short flights of stairs, Namine opened the lights and Kairi fell in love. Her closet was twice as big as her room back home. There were racks upon racks of clothing her size and golden shelves housing shoes, purses and decorative cylindrical boxes containg who knows what. A full-length antique mirror was placed below yet another candelier in the middle. A lounge with beanie bag chairs lay in the corner.

"These were the clothes from my mother's unreleased summer collection a few years back. She was going to throw them out, but I told her to wait just in case you wanted them. What do you think?" asked Namine.

"What do I think?" Although Kairi's taste in clothing was quite simple (Destiny Islands rolled like that), the sight of such fashionable clothing made her eyes water. "I think it's amazing. This is all amazing." She sighed. "But it's too much, Namine. The room, the clothes... everything. You spoil me too much. I don't think I can accept it."

"Aw, Kairi," Namine pulled her into a reassuring hug. "Don't worry about it. Of course you can accept it. I actually felt a little embarassed that we were giving you things we didn't want."

Huh. She never thought of it that way. "Don't feel bad, Namine. I'm very grateful. Thank you."

"You're very welcome. Now if there's anything you need, just notify anyone in the house, okay?"

"Okay." Once Kairi nodded, Namine left in a flash. The room fell silent. Kairi then got to work and attempted to find something suitable to wear to this 'party' of Riku's. After a few minutes of browsing through Stella Fleuret originals, Kairi sighed in exasperation. How was she supposed to dress? She didn't know anything about the party at all. The only thing she knew was that it was for Riku. She knew nothing of the location or the host. She needed insight. Without said insight, she wouldn't know whether to dress casually or formally. If it were any other party, she would've gone casual hands down, but since this was _Sunset Hill_, the portion of Twilight Town that housed the rich and famous, formal could've been an option, too.

She needed to ask someone. Now. It wasn't like she could call anyone or call Namine back, so she needed to find a staff member. She wasn't very fond of giving people orders, but this was minor. It could slide.

"Excuse me," Kairi hollered softly, "Namine mentioned a party tonight?"

A maid placing fresh towels on her bed nodded in confirmation and spoke with a thick but upbeat Pulsian accent. "Riku Masamune's welcome party, yes."

"Um, yes. Where is it taking place exactly?"

"The Hikari household, Miss Kairi. It's only five minutes away."

"Oh." Five minutes away? It was still in Sunset Hill, then. Namine's house alone was twenty minutes up the hill. That meant formal for sure, unless... "Will Namine's parents be joining us?"

"Oh, no, Miss Kairi. The host has made it clear that this party is only for close friends and guests his age."

"So I _don't_ have to wear a ball gown?" She didn't mean for that to come across as a joke, but the maid ended up laughing anyway.

"No, no, Miss Kairi. You may wear whatever you deem as fit." The confusion must've been evident on her face if the maid saw it. "Or would you like me to choose something for you?"

Kairi gave it some thought. This maid, although in uniform, looked quite young and added her own flare to said uniform. She was cute with her curly pigtails and homemade trinkets. And although Kairi knew it wasn't right to judge people on their sense of style based on their looks, she needed all the help she could get. The last thing she wanted to do was make her aunt look bad. "That would be appreciated."

"All right. You just start showering and by the time you're done, I'll have something ready for you."

"Thank you." In no less than five seconds, the maid was down in her closet. _Well, that solves that_. While Kairi grabbed a towel, she made a mental note to tip that maid with her own munny. When she opened the bathroom door, she was surprised yet again. Although it was just a bathroom, it wasn't just a bathroom. It was a fancy bathroom. A fancy bathroom with numerous switches on the wall, a hot tub, two sinks, a well-lit vanity mirror, a golden toilet and a shower with more keys than a computer on a small, hologramic screen.

Oh yes. This was the life.

After Kairi undressed and stepped into the shower, she closed the glass door behind her and stood in place for a few minutes. She had no idea how to work the thing. _It's just a shower... how hard can it be?_

Extremely hard was the answer.

After clicking various buttons on the screen, Kairi was soaked head to toe by jets that were either spraying water, shampoo, conditioner or body wash from every direction. By the end of it all, she was pretty sure she ended up washing her hair with soap and washing her body with shampoo. Oh well. She was clean and she smelled good. She wasn't complaining.

After drying off and brushing her teeth, Kairi moved onto make-up. Namine took the liberty of purchasing high quality make-up just for her and displayed it oh so nicely near the sinks. Since Kairi didn't want to be labelled as the girl who wore too much make-up on the first day (in fact she wasn't quite fond of wearing it on a daily basis), she went for something subtle and left her hair the way she liked it; down.

When she re-entered her room clad in only a towel, she found a very nice pink dress laid out for her on top of her bed. It wasn't too formal or too casual. It was the perfect blend. She especially liked the zipper down the middle that exposed a white tank underneath. It was very nice. Very Stella Fleuret.

Kairi excitedly slipped on her outfit and chose to wear her favourite pair of purple sneakers. She didn't bother getting anything fancy downstairs. She despised heels. She wanted to be comfy. She wasn't one for purses, either. This would do.

"Wow," came a voice by the door. It was the same maid. "You look stunning. How do you like the dress?"

Kairi took the material in between her fingers and smiled. "It's perfect. Thank you, er..."

"Vanille."

Vanille was going to get a very generous tip. "Thank you, Vanille."

"You're very welcome. Miss Namine has told me to inform you that Roxas Hikari is already here to pick you up."

"Oh, okay. Thanks." After dismissing the lovely Vanille, Kairi headed down to the entrance hallway without fail. There she found herself surrounded by her Aunt Stella, Uncle Noctis, Cloud, Namine, and-

Oh my.

_Oh my._

Who was _that_ handsome blond boy?

**Name:** Roxas Hikari  
><strong>Age:<strong> 17. How long have I been 17? Eh... around a month maybe?  
><strong>Birthdate: <strong>June 3rd  
><strong>Sex:<strong> I'm pretty sure I'm a dude.  
><strong>Hometown:<strong> Destiny Islands  
><strong>Orientation:<strong> Straight, but I'm in the midst of hunting down the retard who convinced half the school that I'm gay. #zombieapocalypsemode  
><strong>Laterality:<strong> I'm a leftie. Go southpaw :D  
><strong>Relationship Status:<strong> In a relationship with Axel Flamen. PFFF.  
><strong>Occupation:<strong> Singer/guitarist/songwriter for The Oathkeepers. I'm thinking of going into Caelum Industries or SOLDIER, though.  
><strong>Hobbies: <strong>Music, sports, eating sea-salt ice cream, video games, stalking people on Moogle Earth etc.

"Roxas, this is my cousin Kairi," introduced Namine. "Kairi, this is my good friend Roxas."

Psh. Good friend. Okay.

"Nice to meet you." He kindly outstretched his hand towards her with a smile. Damn, Namine snagged herself a good one. She was expecting someone as quiet and shy as her cousin, but by the way Roxas was chatting away with the staff members earlier, he seemed pretty social. And judging by his calloused hand, he played the guitar.

"Likewise," she returned, giving his hand a good shake.

Stella squealed and clasped her hands together, "Kairi, you look simply fantastic in that dress! I'm so glad I didn't throw it out!"

"I second that," said Namine with a thumbs up. She was dressed in a plain white sundress with a thin black belt to define her curves. For a fashion designer's daughter, she didn't exactly reap the benefts. This was another thing that Kairi liked about Namine. For a wealthy girl, she didn't like to draw attention to herself.

"Agreed," suddenly came the deep voice of Noctis. Kairi thanked him nervously. There was something about her uncle that made him very hard to talk to. He had this strict look about him that scared most people off. She didn't speak to him much, but whenever they spoke, he was always nice. She wondered what he thought of his daughter's 'good friend'. "Now Roxas, I trust that you will not only take care of my daughter as always, but her cousin as well."

"Of course, sir," Roxas answered confidently. That was it? Kairi expected at least one little threat.

"And I'd just like to remind you that I know my way around a gunblade." Oh. There it was.

"Yes, sir, you tell me that every time."

A smirk found its way onto his pale lips. "Just beating it into your head."

Stella pulled on her husband's arm. "Oh Noctis, just let them have their fun."

He sighed. "All right. Take care."

After goodbyes were exchanged, Roxas led the two girls to his car out in front. Kairi inwardly scoffed. Black beemer. Of course.

The ride to Roxas' house was fast just as Vanille had predicted, but it was a very eventful ride. Kairi made a mental note to ask Namine about this "hand holding with Roxas in the car thing" sometime.

Since night came faster in Twilight Town, Kairi couldn't see much of Roxas' house, but she did note that they had a fancy gate and pathway as well. When they reached the front, it was already packed with expensive cars and bodyguards in suits and sunglasses. There was even a line-up of Riku Masamune imposters on the sidelines. They all wore long silver wigs, save one guy that went with pink. Whatever look he was going for, Kairi would never know.

A staff member opened the door for her and, just as they were about to walk up the steps, Roxas asked if she was nervous.

"A little, yeah," Kairi replied while rubbing her arm.

"Don't worry, we'll get you well acquainted with some people. They're really easy to get along with. Just steer clear of Axel and his friends. They can get a little... wild. And stay away from his girlfriend. She's kind of a bitch. But don't worry, Nams and I will take care of you."

Aw, would you look at that. He's caring. 10 points to Gryffindor -er, Namine.

After Kairi thanked him, the doors were opened, and everything after that was a blur.

**Present Day**

Kairi wracked her brain for more answers that didn't come. All she got were fragments. A fancy glass filled with who knows what. Cards. People laughing. People dancing. Chandeliers. A portrait. All fragments, never scenes. This made her frustrated and confused.

_Ow._ Her hand immediately flew to her head. It hurt so bad. Was she suffering from a hangover? Very unlikely. She never drank a drop of alcohol in her life. Whatever it was, it hurt like a-

"Mm..."

Kairi froze. The douche, er, Sora, was waking up.

She had two choices. Fight or flight. She could either scold this boy or leave and pretend like nothing happened. Odds were that he would forget anything that ever happened between them, anyway, so she selected the latter. If she could find Roxas, he could get her home, couldn't he? He seemed like a nice boy.

But it was too late. Sora's eyes opened and, almost immediately, focused on her. And they were _blue_. As blue as blue could get. They widened at the same time Kairi's did.

"K-Kairi?"

He knew her name. He knew her name, and he looked and sounded so dang adorable saying it. But she couldn't focus on that. Not now. Not with the situation at hand. So, without warning, she didn't choose fight or flight.

She chose her first instinct, and screamed.

* * *

><p><strong>Wow. I am terrible at Temple Run. LOL sorry. That's all I'm taking in right now.<strong> **Anyway, back on track. I'm sure that by now, if you've read my stories before, you should know that Sora and Kairi did not just do the dirty. It's just a little more... interesting that their encounter ended up that way haha. And I'm sure most of you are going "What? Sora's not a douche!" And you're right. There was a reason he came across that way though, and that, along with all your other questions, will be answered in the next chapter.**

**As for this chapter, I just wanted to get you well acquianted with the surroundings of the Caelum household and introduce some important characters. That whole little confessional interview with the stats is only used for main characters, so don't worry. I'm not about to do that for 40 billion people lol. And I left out Sora's on purpose ;) **

**As for the people that are still confused, this is where the real story begins. I'm sorry if you thought I was writing about the characters at an older age. I did that on purpose for a twist. I didn't write about them as adults because, well, I'm 16, and I have no idea how the adult mind works. I can be mature (PFFFF), but I'm basking in the teen glory lol. That's why my writing has been a little more playful than usual.**

**And now a special thanks to the following people that reviewed: **RoxasLuvsCookies, NightmaresInNeurosis, Nichole, DragoNik, Versivalia, a star-shaped fruit27, Q-A The Authoress (thanks for the double review lol), 0Wishful-Thoughts0, titanicandkhfanforever, Spellbound aka Soragirl4ever, Redeeming Endeavor, Mokimoki-chan, Key of Memories, CherryCola12, BlackSpiderman 4, Gumi Harue, worksof, TwinToshiro, aquarose band leader and beckster411

**Thanks so much guys! The story is already turning out to be success! Now, moving onto TW. It's getting there, believe me. We'll just have to wait and see how long it takes me with school and whatnot. But for now, thanks again for all your support, I'm sorry if I missed any grmmar errors during my proofreading and reviews are always appreciated!**

**xoKyorii**


	3. Sora the Third

three

.

**Sora **the _Third_

.

"_Wait, the third?"_

"_I was hoping it would make you think he's classy."_

.

**Recap**

Kairi wracked her brain for more answers that didn't come. All she got were fragments. A fancy glass filled with who knows what. Cards. People laughing. People dancing. Chandeliers. A portrait. All fragments, never scenes. This made her frustrated and confused.

_Ow._ Her hand immediately flew to her head. It hurt so bad. Was she suffering from a hangover? Very unlikely. She never drank a drop of alcohol in her life. Whatever it was, it hurt like a-

"Mm..."

Kairi froze. The douche –er, Sora, was waking up.

She had two choices: fight or flight. She could either scold this boy or leave and pretend like nothing happened. Odds were that he would forget anything that ever happened between them, anyway, so she selected the latter. If she could find Roxas, he could get her home, couldn't he? He seemed like a nice boy.

But it was too late. Sora's eyes opened and, almost immediately, focused on her. And they were _blue_. As blue as blue could get. They widened at the same time Kairi's did.

"K-Kairi?"

He knew her name. He knew her name, and he looked and sounded so dang adorable saying it. But she couldn't focus on that. Not now. Not with the situation at hand. So, without warning, she didn't choose fight or flight.

She chose her first instinct, and screamed.

**Presently**

"Kairi, Kairi shh, it's okay," Sora whispered soothingly while stroking her bright red hair. Under normal circumstances, this gesture would have been seen as cute and comforting, but upon closer examination, one would notice that it was quite the opposite. Sora had Kairi in a tight headlock with one arm and had one hand forcefully placed over her mouth to subdue her screaming. His blanket served as a rope to keep her thrashing arms at bay.

"Mm-mmph!"

"I know, I know, this looks bad-"

"MMMHMMPH!"

"But nothing happened, I swear!"

She rolled her eyes. "Mhm."

He pouted. "You don't believe me?"

She squirmed in attempts to answer his question.

"You're not going to listen to me, are you?" he asked, trying to pry his other hand out of her hair. She squirmed even more as if to say _duh_. Then suddenly, Sora felt a searing pain coming from his right hand. He withdrew it from Kairi's mouth and began flailing it around as if it were on fire. "Did you just _bite_ me?"

"What do you think?" Kairi asked, obviously exasperated.

"Huh," Sora licked his dry lips, "that's actually pretty sexy."

Kairi looked absolutely disgusted. "Who the _heck_ are you? Where am I? _Why_ are you half naked? And _please_ don't tell me I had a hand in stripping you!"

Much to Kairi's surprise, Sora's smug expression vanished within seconds. It was replaced with... with what almost looked like _hurt_.

"You don't..." His shoulders slumped. "You don't remember me?"

"No, I do." She almost felt bad about her next comment when she saw the flicker of hope in his eyes. Her discarded socks on the floor and the smell of alcohol got her back on track. "You're the idiot 'Sora' who knocked me over yesterday morning."

"What?" He shook his head. "No, no. Wait, okay yeah, that was me, and I'm sorry, but I have a really good explanation for that and-"

"No, just stop. _Stop,_" Kairi growled. She wasn't going to give a guy who took advantage of her any chances. "Just... let me breathe. Let me leave."

"Kairi-"

"Stop!" Her rising anger was making her head worse. This did not go by unnoticed by Sora.

"Just listen. I can help you-"

"No, don't touch me!" She swatted away his nearing arms. While Kairi rambled on and on about what a disgusting creature he was, Sora eventually stopped trying to interrupt her and went with plan B.

"Roxas!" Sora screamed at the top of his lungs. "ROXAS!"

The door was busted open seconds later. Kairi immediately recognized Roxas when he barrel rolled inside, his fingers curled into a fake gun. He stuck his head out the door and yelled, "The coast is clear! Squad "convince Kairi that she didn't have sex with Sora", move, move, move!"

At this, six ominous looking teens dressed like terrorists dragged a thrashing Kairi out of the room. Three, including Roxas, stayed. The door slammed shut, leaving the four boys in silence.

"Was the terrorist look really necessary?" asked Sora. One of the masked boys removed their headscarf and whipped their long, silver hair in a slow, dramatic fashion.

**Name:** Riku Masamune  
><strong>Age:<strong> 18  
><strong>Birth date:<strong> January 13  
><strong>Sex:<strong> I am a man.  
><strong>Hometown:<strong> Destiny Islands  
><strong>Orientation:<strong> Straight.  
><strong>Laterality:<strong> Right-handed  
><strong>Relationship Status:<strong> Single  
><strong>Occupation:<strong> Professional actor  
><strong>Hobbies:<strong> Acting, sports, guitar, video games, etc.

"But of course," he replied with an amused tone. The other masked boy happened to be Axel in disguise.

"So who was the smart one who decided to give Kairi some elixir?" asked Sora, arms folded over his chest impatiently. Axel inspected his surroundings discreetly and whistled to lessen the suspicion placed upon him.

"What?" he asked when all eyes were on him. "She's_ sixteen_! She's going to get hammered some time in her life! I'm just being a good older cousin by preparing her for higher education experiences."

"And what a good older cousin you are, letting her hit her head and keeping her unconscious body in some other guy's bed," Roxas sneered. Sora stared at Riku oddly.

The brunet telepathically asked _"Hit her head?"_ with a raised brow. Riku stiffened.

"So how did the reunion go?" Riku asked abruptly, raising his brows suggestively to change the topic.

"How do you think?" Sora asked, holding up his bitten hand.

Axel took him by the wrist and examined it thoroughly. "You know, I'm no expert, but I don't think she's supposed to bite you there. I swear they're supposed to go for the neck and-"

"_Axel_," Sora hissed, "this is serious."

"You're right." The pyromaniac patted the back of Sora's injured hand. "It's rabies. I'm sorry."

"Why is he even here?" Sora asked, obviously annoyed.

"Well sorry!" Axel raised his hands in surrender. "Excuse me for wanting to support my best friend's brother!"

"You're the reason support is required!" Sora fought back.

"Fine, fine! I'll leave! Sheesh." As Axel walked out the door, the three could faintly make out his muttering. He said something along the lines of "should've just banged her" before slamming the door shut behind him.

Roxas sighed. "I'm going to take him out for some ice cream."

"Don't you have school?" questioned Riku.

"Oh, right. Thanks for reminding me." Roxas pulled out his cell phone, dialed the school's number, and tapped his foot impatiently. Someone must've picked up because Roxas began doing an _outstanding_ imitation of his mother. "Hello? Twilight Academy? This is Roxas Hikari's mother. I'm calling to inform you that he won't be able to attend school today. It's too sunny outside and he doesn't want the other students witnessing his sparkly vampire skin. Yes. Mhm. Thank you for understanding. Bye now."

Sora and Riku remained frozen in place as Roxas put his phone away.

"Well now that that's settled, I will be seeing you gentlemen later at the Flurry of Dancing Flames." And with a wink, Roxas was gone. Silence filled the room.

Riku's eye twitched. "Did that just-"

"Yes." Sora answered, "Third time this week."

"Wow."

"Yeah."

"..."

"..."

Sora hated the silence between them. It wasn't supposed to be this way. If the events of last night didn't happen, their current little exchange would've been less awkward.

"Hey, uh... the script was delivered to my house this morning. I'll give it a read and meet you at the dock tomorrow. Sound good?"

Sora nodded slowly. "Oh. Yeah, sure."

Riku was halfway out the door when he turned around again, his face stern and warning. "Sora." The brunet looked up. "Not a word."

He gulped and nodded obediently. Riku thanked him and shut the door.

"Ugh," Sora groaned and fell back on his bed, absentmindedly staring at the ceiling. It was only ten o'clock in the morning and already the day was more than he bargained for. First he got yelled at and bitten by his former crush/ best friend and learned that she didn't remember who he was. Then, thirty seconds later, she got kidnapped by terrorists. His big shot best friend sort of kind of threatened him, and his twin brother was a vampire.

_Well then. This is going to be one interesting summer._

Right at that moment, Sora didn't know how right he was.

* * *

><p>The instant Roxas started the engine of his Beemer he immediately called the person at the top of his <em>recent contacts<em> list: Namine. It had been exactly twenty-five minutes since the kidnapping. Surely she was finished persuading Kairi by then, right?

"Hello?" Her angelic voice filled every speaker in the car.

"Hey beautiful," he greeted as he pulled out of the garage. She giggled on the other line, causing him to smile. "How did the intervention with Kairi go?"

"Okay so far," she whispered. "She acted like Azula in the Avatar finale for a bit and threatened to, direct quote, "end me" for not keeping a watchful eye on her, but she's calmed down a bit now. I tied her to a chair, have a light saber at the ready, and now she's staring at a lamp."

"So you _still_ haven't convinced her that Sora's _not_ a creep?" Roxas asked while adjusting his Bluetooth device.

"I'd like to see you convince a teenage girl that she didn't do it with a shirtless guy that she fell asleep next to last night," challenged Namine.

"I'm sure I could convince you. It's happened with you and me before," he cackled. He could already picture her blushing madly on the other line.

"That was _one time_," growled Namine. "I was incredibly sleepy and your sleeping bag was _right there_ and you just happened to be sleeping shirtless there-"

"Calm down, Namine, I'm just making fun," Roxas chuckled. "Tell me how it goes at the restaurant, okay? If you need reinforcements, ring me up."

"Affirmative, Captain," joked Namine before hanging up.

_Call ended._

* * *

><p>Ten minutes later, Sora found himself conflicted in the shower. He banged his head on the blue tiled wall with a steady tempo as the jets hit his back like bullets. He was never a morning shower kind of guy, but he reeked of alcohol earlier, and he didn't want Kairi getting the wrong idea. He didn't even drink anything alcoholic at the party; hangovers were too much of a hassle to handle in his opinion.<p>

"Argh," he groaned, slamming his fist a few centimeters away from his face.

How was he going to convince Kairi that he meant well? He didn't want to get on the bad side of his childhood friend on day one. Maybe he'd have to play up some sort of angle to appease her? Maybe he could play the straight-forward, calm, cool and collected guy.

_We didn't have sex, I swear._

That was... too to the point. Maybe the beggar?

_I didn't take advantage of you last night. Kairi, please believe me. Please. Pretty please. Pretty please with a paopu fruit on top._

Desperate and childish. Nice guy?

_We didn't do it, but might I say you looked lovely last night?_

Too formal... and a little creepy. The lovesick desperato?

_Kairi, I've been in love with you since we were kids. You are the Bella to my Edward, the peanut butter to my jelly, the Namine to my Roxas. I need you like Rachel McAdams needed Channing Tatum in that movie –the Cow, or whatever. I need you like Frodo needs Sam, like humans need oxygen to breathe. I love you, and I would wait forever for you, so please believe me when I say that I'm sorry and that we didn't make love last night._

Hell to the freaking no. None of that was going to work. Sora, though skilled in the dramatic arts like Riku, liked to stay true to himself in real life situations.

It was when Sora adjusted the heat of the jets that he came across what could have been the greatest epiphany of his seventeen years of existence. It was plain to see that, after the misinterpreted events of last night, Kairi just wanted someone who was honest. She was probably extremely confused and wanted nothing but the truth. He could do that. He could give her the truth.

Problem was, Riku ruled out the truth beforehand.

"_Not a word,"_ he emphasized earlier. Sora shuddered at the now receding memory.

So that did it. He'd just have to leave out Riku's part. The rest could be wholeheartedly revealed without the looming threat of Riku pummeling him to the ground. His only option now was to hope that Namine calmed Kairi down a bit, (partially) explain the entire situation to her, and start over. Starting over, though painful to accept with such high expectations and precious memories, was the only way to go for now. Sora was hoping to start from where they left off years ago –the best of friends, but obviously that would have to wait. He should've known that things would've been different when they were older.

_You can't always get what you want,_ Sora mentally reminded himself.

He was starting to learn that the hard way.

* * *

><p>Ten minutes after pruning and vigorous over-thinking in the shower, Sora thought it was time for some well-deserved relaxation. It was summertime, he figured. Summertime was 'go with the flow' time. Summertime was fun time. Summer meant absolutely no school, good ol' Struggle tournaments, and harmless flir- ahem, 'playful bantering' with cute girls at the beach. Summer meant humming tunelessly while absentmindedly strumming chords on his guitar in the backyard, lounging around playing video games, and eating free food at the Flurry of Dancing Flames every night, courtesy of the manager, Mr. Axel Flamen. Summer meant keyblade training with Roxas and their older brothers, chilling with his friends, and perhaps even making pointless yet memorable videos with Pence if he wasn't too busy with work. Summer meant wild parties, sleeping in, and eating sea-salt ice cream at the top of the clock tower while enjoying the feel of the summer breeze against his tanning skin.<p>

Summer also meant that he didn't and _wouldn't_ stress over excess drama that involved the possibility of actual feelings getting hurt. All he had to do was apologize to Kairi and start over. That's all there was to it. After that, it was fun time. Summertime was all about fun time.

When Sora returned to reality after this supposed 'brilliant, easy, and foolproof' conclusion, he noticed that the halls were eerily silent as he made his way across his professionally furnished abode to reach the dining room. Breakfast was first on his list of fun things. By the time Sora opened the oversized double doors to the dining room, he finally realized why the halls were so eerie earlier.

Sitting right across his designated seat sat Kairi –calm, cool, and collected Kairi.

He _almost_ ordered a maid to remove all knives within Kairi's peripheral vision and reach. Almost. Instead, he cussed under his breath.

Suddenly his 'fun plan' didn't seem so easy when he realized that his apology had to come so soon. He figured that Roxas would send the Caelum cousins home! How was he supposed to know that Kairi would end up eating breakfast with him? He wasn't ready. He knew he had to say sorry but how exactly would he start and how would she rea-?

"Master Sora," interrupted a maid to his right carrying a tray of fresh fruit. "Would you care for some breakfast?"

"I-I'd love that, actually," he replied dazedly. He awkwardly took his typical seat on the unusually large table –a meter and a half away from Kairi's reach. He began loading his plate with his usual: a muffin, some bacon, eggs, toast. It was while he was pouring his orange juice that Kairi decided to speak up.

"Hi," she greeted timidly. He missed his glass by a few inches at the sudden interaction.

The Kairi in front of him was certainly not the same eight-year-old girl he left nine years ago. He'd always thought she was, for lack of a better word, pretty when they were younger (his vocabulary wasn't exactly developed back then), but now she had matured into a beautiful young woman. Her facial features were more defined, more feminine now. The sun had treated her well and blessed her glowing skin with a subtle and healthy tan. Her lavender eyes still held the same vibrancy and wonder as they did when she was a child, but now they were under longer, darker eyelashes. Her natural red hair had gotten considerably longer as well. He thought it was cute short back in the day, but something about it being past her shoulders made her seem all the more… well, for lack of a better word, hot. He tried his hardest not to stare at how much she had developed over the years.

After filling his glass and embarrassingly wiping the mess he had made on the table (a maid insisted to herself but was obviously rejected), Sora replied "Hello" with equal shyness. Finally, after deciding that he'd been staring at his scrambled eggs for far too long, he began to say, "Listen, Kairi, I'm so-"

She raised a hand to interrupt him. "I know. It's… it's okay, for the most part. Namine told me what happened last night and, judging from what I know about her, which is _a lot_, she doesn't lie."

"Oh…" A ghost of a smile made its way onto Sora's lips. "That's… great."

"I might need a little more persuading," said Kairi honestly, "and I may be a little weary of you for a bit, but after what you did for me yesterday, I'm willing to give you another chance. And now that we're talking about it, I guess now would be a good time to say, erm, thank you. Thank you for, uh… taking care of me after I hit my head last night."

_Hit your head. Sure, let's go with that,_ thought Sora.

"You're welcome," he replied inelegantly. "I'm sorry it seemed like we, uh… you know…" Their cheeks both turned bright red. "B-but I'm nothing like that, I swear! I, um, uh…"

"Okay, this is getting awkward," Kairi admitted with a chuckle. "Can we just… start over? I'm Kairi Caelum, Namine's cousin," she introduced, outstretching her hand across the pure adamantite dining table.

"And this dapper young gentleman is Sora Hikari the Third," came a high-pitched female voice from behind Kairi. The redhead turned only to come face to face with one of the terrorists that had kidnapped her earlier. She dramatically removed her headscarf and revealed herself as a cute, baby-faced teen with a seventies style haircut. She looked oddly familiar for some reason.

"Wait, the Third?" asked Kairi, returning to the situation at hand.

"I was hoping it would make you think he's classy," replied the girl sheepishly.

"I don't think that's required, Selphie," chuckled Sora.

**Name:** Selphie Tilmitt  
><strong>Age:<strong> 15, but soon to be sweet sixteen!  
><strong>Birth date:<strong> August 25th  
><strong>Sex:<strong> Female and lovin' every single bit of it!  
><strong>Hometown:<strong> Destiny Islands  
><strong>Orientation:<strong> Straight  
><strong>Laterality:<strong> Right-handed  
><strong>Relationship Status:<strong> Single pringle!  
><strong>Occupation:<strong> Ew.  
><strong>Hobbies:<strong> Shopping, nail art, shopping, makeup, shopping, tumblring… have I mentioned shopping?

"I'm sure Kairi doesn't want any lies from here on out," Sora pointed out. "So maybe we should start telling her the truth if we want a nice, fresh start." When Kairi smiled at him, Sora inwardly high-fived himself. He was already starting to get on her good side.

"I'm Sora Hikari," he introduced, taking her still outstretched hand. He tried not to think about how perfectly her fingers would fit through his. It was way too early for that. "Just Sora Hikari."

**Name:** Sora Hikari  
><strong>Age:<strong> 17  
><strong>Birth date:<strong> June 3rd  
><strong>Sex:<strong> Yes. Oh, you were talking about my gender... Male, haha.  
><strong>Hometown:<strong> Destiny Islands  
><strong>Orientation:<strong> I'm straight, but only if you want me to be ;D Okay but seriously, I'm straight.  
><strong>Laterality:<strong> Right-handed  
><strong>Relationship Status:<strong> Single. Forever alone ): Lol kidding. Maybe.  
><strong>Occupation:<strong> Me? A job? LOL.  
><strong>Hobbies:<strong> Sports, acting, music, video games, etc. I'm up for anything fun (:

"And as he said earlier, I'm Selphie," said the baby-faced girl, placing her small hand over top Sora and Kairi's jokingly. When they all pulled away, Selphie suddenly said, "I liked your dress last night –the pink number with the black accented belt and zippers? Very nice choice. It's a Stella Fleuret original, right? I recognize it from her unreleased summer collection two years ago. That collection will never go out of style. You have great fashion sense. I like you already."

"Oh," said Kairi, turning red as she tried to find the right words. What was she supposed to say? _My fashion sense actually sucks. I come from Destiny Islands where t-shirts and shorts are worn on a daily basis. One of Namine's maids actually picked this out for me, but thanks._ That just didn't sound right. She figured a simple "thank you" would've sufficed, so she just went with that.

"So Selphie, would you like to join us for breakfast?" offered Sora.

"Thanks, but no thanks. I have to go home and get everything sorted for the meeting at the Flurry of Dancing Flames this afternoon," she replied. Her sights then turned to Kairi who obviously ate her food as a distraction to keep her from asking about the meeting. "Would you like to come, Kairi? You're welcome to join us. You're one of us now."

"Oh," she said, quickly swallowing her sliced pineapples. "I don't want to intrude-"

"Great, so I'll see you there!" she interrupted, leaving the dining area without another word.

"Sorry about her," apologized Sora. "And sorry if I came across as a jerk yesterday. I really am nicer than that. What can I do to redeem myself, Ms. Kairi?"

"An explanation would be nice," suggested Kairi as she helped herself to some fresh fruit and toast.

"Right," he dragged slowly. He then inhaled sharply. "Well, I don't know if you'll believe this, but, uh, I was in a hurry to get some flowers to my mom yesterday morning. You see, my parents are divorced and I don't see her much. She visited yesterday, so..."

"Oh, that's understandable," said Kairi. She looked like she was somewhat buying it until she began to chuckle. "So you're a mama's boy, huh?"

In all honesty she was only chuckling to mask how inwardly confused she was. She was so confident in assuming that the flowers were for someone else yesterday. His so-called "girlfriend of the week" turned out to be his mother. Why… why did she have trouble believing that 100%?

"I guess I am," he wholeheartedly admitted without a fight.

"And what happened to your cheek?" Kairi decided to ask. There was no way he didn't get that from a fist fight.

Sora reached up and touched it. He chuckled as if he didn't remember that a band-aid was there in the first place. "Oh. I was playing with my friend's siblings the other day. The little tykes are quite a handful... and a lot stronger than they look."

Kairi cocked her head to the side. This was weird. Every assumption she had made about him was wrong. She was almost never wrong. Unless...

"Are you for real?" she asked.

Sora chuckled lightly. "Sorry?"

"Are you telling me the truth?"

"Why wouldn't I?" he pointed out. Kairi stared at him, impassive. He sighed. "Look, I know it's hard to trust me but-"

"Mr. Hikari!" exclaimed a breathless brunette maid, phone in hand, "your mother is on the phone."

"Thank you, Lenne." Sora accepted the phone and excused himself from the table. Since he was only a mere three meters away, Kairi could faintly make out the sound of a thankful woman on the other line.

_"-and the flowers look lovely. Thank you, Sora."_

"Oh, that was nothing. You're welcome, mom."

_"And thank Roxas for me too, will you? Thank you both for a wonderful afternoon."_

"Sure. Bye, mom. Yeah. I miss you too. Mhmm. Bye."

_Call ended._

"Thank you again, Lenne." Sora handed her the phone and took his seat. Just as he was about to spear another piece of pineapple with his fork, another maid came running in with an envelope in hand.

"Mr. Hikari, you have a letter."

Kairi blinked twice. Who the heck sent letters nowadays?

"From whom?" he asked with his mouth full of pineapple.

"The Leonharts," she replied. While finishing off his glass of orange juice, Sora opened the card with ease. Inside was a card with poorly drawn pictures in crayon; no doubt child's work. "Aw, Marlene and Den are so sweet."

"Are those the kids you played with yesterday?" asked Kairi. Sora nodded before showing her the appreciative card. There were two little children and what seemed to be Sora holding a tennis racket. They got the hair dead on.

"Aren't they adorable?" he asked girlishly. Kairi blinked twice. This wasn't happening. Just this morning Sora was a disgusting pig, and now he was the sweetest guy ever? This wasn't right. It was too coincidental and strange.

"Hey Kairi," came a familiar voice. Occupying the seat to her right was none other than her cousin Namine. Strangely enough, she was giggling. When had she entered? Kairi hadn't noticed. "Are you ready to leave? We have to be at the Flurry of Dancing Flames soon and we still need to freshen up and get ready."

"Oh," Kairi stared at her empty plate. "Yeah, I guess I am ready. Let's go."

"So I guess I'll be seeing you two later?" asked Sora. He looked so innocent as he looked up at the both of them. He looked, dare Kairi say it, cute… from certain angles. Yes. Certain angles. That sounded safe for the time being. From certain angles, she found his damp yet spiky hair adorable. From certain angles, his eyes may have been the most magnificent thing she had ever seen. From certain angles, his facial features and tanned skin may have been perfection.

"I guess you will," said Namine in response to Sora's question. Slowly but surely, the Caelum cousins left the premises, and the instant the oversized double doors closed behind them, Sora slammed his head into his plate and screamed, figuring that the girls were out of earshot.

* * *

><p>"What's up, Kairi? You look a little fazed," Namine pointed out with a giggle. While Kairi stared out the tinted windows of the limo absentmindedly, her platinum-haired cousin sat across from her with bouncing knees and balled fists.<p>

"Hm?" asked Kairi when her gaze finally broke from the fast moving scenery.

"What's on your mind?" Namine asked simply. "You know you can tell me anything."

"Namine, that was given," chuckled Kairi. "And if you must know, I'm thinking about how strange this morning's events turned out to be."

"How so?" asked Namine. It looked as if she was expecting an amusing answer that had to do with a certain spiky-haired brunet.

"Can you confidently say that you were kidnapped by terrorists this morning and lived to tell the tale?"

"Kairi, come on. We both know that's not the only thing you're thinking about. What's bothering you?"

"What, or who, do you think?" the redhead asked.

"What exactly did you two talk about in the dining room?" asked Namine with curious blue eyes.

"Confusing things," replied Kairi.

"And what, pray tell, was so confusing?"

"He's completely different from the guy I thought he was," she answered. "When I assumed that he bought flowers for his girlfriend (of the week, mind you), they ended up being for his mom, Namine. His _mom_. Tell me that isn't the sweetest thing you've ever heard?"

"Well it's understandable. Sora and Roxas love their mom very much," Namine answered. "Why is it bothering you?"

"It's bothering me because it's so coincidental and strange!" Kairi exclaimed. "Every assumption I had was proved otherwise all in the span of _five minutes_. Right after he told me the whole mom situation, his mom just happened to call. After he told me that he played with some kids the day before, a thank you note from said kids just mysteriously arrives thirty seconds later. I'm starting to think he planned all this to convince me that he isn't a jerk."

"Don't you think you're over thinking this?" Namine asked. "I specifically told you that Sora was a nice guy. You can ask anyone and they'll agree in a heartbeat. He's the sweetest there is. Besides, if he, hypothetically, did plan out this whole thing, where would he have found the time to put it together if he woke up next to you just as surprised and confused?"

Kairi puffed her cheeks and sighed. "I suppose you're right."

"Just give him a chance, Kairi. You promised me that you'd do just that. Just let this all go and start fresh. I know it may seem hard with all these mixed stories, but you can trust him. You can trust me. He really is much nicer than you think."

"Fine, fine, I'll do it," sighed the redhead. "But don't expect us to be the best of friends by the end of the summer."

"Oh I won't," replied Namine suspiciously. When Kairi turned to face her cousin she was, for some awfully retarded reason, smirking. _I expect you to be something more._

* * *

><p>"You're late," was the first thing Axel said when Namine and Kairi arrived.<p>

The Flurry of Dancing Flames was probably one of the most celebrated restaurants in town. Being the only restaurant with teppanyaki grills and mouthwatering Japanese cuisine, the Flurry of Dancing Flames, by default, became one of Twilight Town's "hotspots" for tourists. Its brick exterior and downtown loft like interior was also very cozy, satisfying every customer that stepped past the door. Axel took great pride in being the manager of such a successful eatery at such a young age. The Flurry of Dancing Flames was, undoubtedly, his pride and joy.

"What? It's three thirty-two," Namine pointed out.

"You're 120 seconds late," Axel countered dramatically while cooking raw meat on the large iron griddle. Kairi watched in awe as her older cousin chopped various ingredients and mixed them together on the grill. She jumped back when a small flame emerged from the uncooked food, causing the fellow redhead to chuckle.

"I'm guessing that you've never seen one of these before?" Axel smirked.

"No sir," Kairi answered while shaking her head. It all looked and smelled so delicious. "So this is where you work, huh?"

"Yup," the pyro replied, popping the "p".

"And do you really let your friends have free food like Namine said?"

"Yup."

"Are you even allowed to do that?"

"I'm the manager," Axel said with a wink. "I can do whatever I want."

"Kairi, why are you just standing there? Come sit." Namine gestured toward a row of fancy wooden stools only a meter away from Axel's grill. Majority of them were occupied with somewhat familiar faces. Sora, Roxas and Selphie were present. The rest looked like fragments from this morning. All, however, were military kids, Kairi figured.

"Guys, I'm sure you remember my cousin Kairi from last night," reminded Namine. Kairi felt a little guilty when they all waved back with welcoming smiles. She couldn't remember any of them save the ones she just met this morning.

"Hi," was the only thing she said before shyly taking her seat in between Sora and Namine. At least she'd be next to familiar faces for lunch –or so Kairi thought. Eventually a new unknown brunette took the seat beside Namine. She looked around her age, if not a few months older. Her hair was a gorgeous shade of brown and was tied into two perfect French braids. She was somewhat tall and, like most girls on Sunset Hill, incredibly pretty. Kairi was starting to feel a little more self-conscious than she liked at the moment.

"Hey guys," she greeted with a sophisticated and elegant voice.

"Kairi, this is Olette Leonhart," said Namine through slightly gritted teeth. Kairi could tell her cousin was struggling to keep her calm composure for reasons unknown to her. Was there something about this girl that-

"Oh, hello Kairi," said Olette. She kindly outstretched her hand towards her. "It's so nice to finally meet you. I'm Olette. I'm, uh… Roxas' fiancée."

Oh.

_Oh._

**Name:** Olette Leonhart  
><strong>Age:<strong> 16  
><strong>Birth date:<strong> October 17th  
><strong>Sex:<strong> Female  
><strong>Hometown:<strong> Sunset Hill, Twilight Town  
><strong>Orientation:<strong> Straight  
><strong>Laterality:<strong> Ambidextrous  
><strong>Relationship Status:<strong> In an arranged marriage  
><strong>Occupation:<strong> Tutor  
><strong>Hobbies: <strong>Reading, teaching, studying.

_Fiancée?_

What the _fuck_?

Clearly Namine was holding back on her.

Kairi gave her the wide-eyed "We need to talk" look when both Olette and Roxas weren't looking.

"So what are we discussing?" Namine decided to ask to lessen the tension.

"Selphie's party," an unknown blond boy with surfer hair at the end of the row replied.

"Oh, right. Kairi, have I mentioned that to you before?" asked Namine. The redhead innocently shook her head. "Selphie, being the youngest of us all, will be turning sixteen soon. Her parents have agreed to throw her a "Super Sweet Sixteen" that will be aired on television."

"It's on a cruise," added Roxas.

_Of course,_ Kairi mentally added.

"And you, of course, are invited," Namine added with a wink.

"What?" Kairi exclaimed. "No, no, I couldn't possibly-"

"Nonsense. You're one of us now," Selphie reminded.

"And now that you're one of us, you're also invited to join us on the pre-party trip!" cheered Sora. When he raised an enthusiastic fist in the air, he came incredibly close to Kairi, making her feel slightly uncomfortable. She then remembered Namine's words and remained calm.

So instead of lashing out, she simply asked, "Pre-party trip?"

"Mhm," Namine nodded. "In appreciation for being in her grand cotillion, Selphie's taking us all on a one week cruise trip!"

One week. On a cruise. With her beloved cousin Namine, her beloved cousin's sort-of-kind-of boyfriend, her beloved cousin's sort-of-kind-of-boyfriend's fiancée, terrorist kidnappers, her childhood crush, unidentifiable fragments, and Sora.

Kairi gulped.

This was going to be quite the adventure.

* * *

><p><strong>I would go all out on the author's note, but its 4:35AM and everything I have to say is in the notes of Teenage Wasteland lol. But for now all I can say is that I hope you're all enjoying your summer vacation! I'm currently in Maryland with my cousin and chillin' like a villain. I'm also sorry for the incredibly late update! I can't believe I haven't worked on this since February lol.<strong>

**Special thanks to the following people for reviewing the last chapter: **monkmonkeys, worksof, Kimmosaur, Guest, California Sandwich, Moon Princess016, Anonymous, godson5518, Hiddensecret564, TheEmoAndTheAngel, TheDarkNinjaPanda17, RedSeaGlassStories, Tyjet Ansatsu, Don'tHaveALoginGet, a star-shaped fruit27, 8989 Treasured Moments, Sypherianlp, RoxasLuvsCookies, Aileria, MeganLovesHelloKitty69, Versivalia, Gumi Harue, Zoe the Hunter, Jared Someone, Redeeming Endeavor, Key of Memories, EternallySky, Kuroiikawa, Keyblades of Oblivion, Mokimoki-chan, Q-A the Authoress, Chaoshime and DragoNik. I'm terribly sorry if I missed anyone!

**So yeah. This chapter was admittedly short by my standards. You Teenage Wasteland readers know what I mean lol. I'm still in the midst of organizing all the events that go on in this story, but stay tuned! The next chapter shouldn't be far from now. Anyways, thank you all to those who reviewed, enjoy your summer, I'm sorry for any grammar errors and thanks so much for your support!**

**xoKyorii**


	4. Coincidence

four

.

**C**oincidence

.

"_Whatever will be, will be."_

.

**Recap**

"Pre-party trip?"

"Mhm," Namine nodded. "In appreciation for being in her grand cotillion, Selphie's taking us all on a one week cruise trip!"

One week. On a cruise. With her beloved cousin Namine, her beloved cousin's sort-of-kind-of boyfriend, her beloved cousin's sort-of-kind-of-boyfriend's fiancée, terrorist kidnappers, her childhood crush, unidentifiable fragments, and Sora.

Kairi gulped.

This was going to be quite the adventure.

**Presently**

"_Fiancée_?" was the first word that left Kairi's mouth when the girls returned home. "_Cruise_?" the redhead asked with more ferocity and accusation. "When exactly were you planning on telling me all this?"

"I didn't know how to tell you until the subject came up," Namine replied sheepishly. While Kairi angrily sat on the beige coloured velvet couch in Namine's equally large closet, the blond began rummaging through racks upon racks of clothing to bring on their one week trip.

"Namine, I really don't think I should go on that trip," Kairi admitted with a heavy sigh. She rested her elbows on her knees and buried her face in her hands.

"Kairi, you came here for a _vacation_," Namine pointed out while stuffing a pile of white tops in her _Fleuret_ branded luggage."What says vacation more than a cruise? Besides, all your expenses have already been paid for."

"That's what I don't like," whined Kairi. "At least let me pay you back when I start working on Destiny Islands again."

Namine chuckled lightly. "That's cute. You think I'm actually going to let you pay."

"Namine!"

"Kairi!" she mimicked teasingly. "You could at least say thank you."

Kairi began twiddling her thumbs. "Right. Th-thank you. I promise I'll pay you back."

"Sure," Namine replied suspiciously with a devious smirk.

"Now onto the topic of this _fiancée_," Kairi reminded. She crossed her arms, raised a brow, and demanded an explanation with her body language alone.

Namine's shoulders slumped as she threw a pair of white shorts into the luggage. "They've been engaged for about five months."

"And you're _still _going out with him?" Kairi wagged a disapproving finger in Namine's direction. "You didn't strike me as that kind of person, Namine. I thought you knew better than to go for a guy who asked another girl to marry him! And at such a young age, no less-"

Namine chortled sadly. "Oh, you've got it all wrong, Kairi. Roxas didn't ask Olette to marry him. Their engagement was arranged."

"Oh," was all Kairi said. A few minutes were spent in a depressing silence until Namine sighed heavily and took the seat next to her cousin on the cushiony couch. She believed she owed her closest relative a story.

"When I first met Roxas, we were quite distant. In fact, it was Sora I was close to when our supposed 'trio' met. Whenever our parents had business meetings, Roxas was off doing his own thing with Axel and I did mine for the first few months with Sora. It wasn't until Axel's parents made him the manager of their family restaurant that Roxas began to interact with us more. Axel was almost always absent because of work, and since business was booming for both Caelum and Hikari Industries for their joint product, the X-blade, the three of us got to see each other more during meetings, and I suppose that's where our affection began to 'blossom'. I managed to fall for him quite hard and I soon began to see signs that our feelings were mutual, but before he could make a move…"

"The Leonharts announced their engagement," Kairi finished with a heavy heart. She placed a reassuring hand on her cousin's shoulder. "I'm so sorry, Namine."

"Don't be sorry, Kairi," Namien whispered with the usual elegance in her voice, but Kairi of all people could feel the weight beneath her words.

"I understand where you're coming from now. Thanks for sharing," thanked Kairi appreciatively. She then narrowed her eyes and began to protest. "But it just can't end this way. I've never seen you act this way around a guy before. You're both so comfortable around each other! You guys are perfect! Screw this engagement! You had Roxas first! How does he feel about this engagement? How does this… this _Olette_ feel?"

"Well Roxas isn't entirely thrilled," Namine muttered, "and neither is Olette, but she respects what Roxas and I have. Don't get me wrong, they're good friends, but they've made it clear that what they feel for each other is strictly platonic."

"Can't their parents do anything about it?" Kairi asked hopefully.

"Hikari and Leonhart Industries are both under what could be seen as a recession," Namine answered. "Their parents have decided that combining their industries would make for better business. Olette is the eldest child of the Leonhart family. Roxas has two older brothers, but they already work for Caelum Industries. Roxas is the oldest of the twins, so he was chosen to be betrothed to Olette. They'll take up the business and get married when they are of age."

"This sounds like a soap opera," muttered Kairi. "So if Roxas' older brothers are unfit to marry Olette due to their positions in Caelum Industries, why can't Roxas just decide to work there too?"

"He's tried, but his parents highly disapprove. He suggested it too late."

"Oh, Namine." Kairi pulled her favourite cousin into a comforting hug. "What are you two going to do now?"

"Let the pieces fall where they may," came Namine's muffled answer. "Whatever will be, will be."

* * *

><p>Back at the Hikari household, Sora sought guidance from his older brothers about his 'predicament'.<p>

"So let me get this straight," started Ventus. Ventus, who was currently wrecking Sora mercilessly in their favourite video game, was the spitting image of Roxas. He may have been a few inches taller, but save the height difference, they looked even more like twins than Sora and Roxas ever did. His childish and optimistic demeanor surely rubbed off on Sora, though. "Last night, you all got hammered-"

"_I_ didn't even get drunk," Sora interrupted proudly.

"-resulting in complicated chaos which you have not been allowed to reveal to me due to Riku."

"That is correct."

"And now Kairi, your childhood friend/ crush who Riku is also somewhat interested in, thinks you're some chauvinistic, lecherous asshole?" Sora nodded like a sad puppy. "But yet somehow you've managed to convince her otherwise?"

"A little," the brunet admitted. "We've agreed to start things over, but I have a feeling that she doesn't believe me entirely."

"Why do you care about this girl's opinion so much?" suddenly came the deep, alluring voice of Sora's other brother, Vanitas. Vanitas, although Ventus' twin, was the spitting image of Sora, but many of his features contrasted with Sora greatly. Though they had the same hairstyle, Vanitas' hair was dyed jet black, and his eyes were an intimidating shade of gold. Vanitas was also a little taller (and a little more muscular), but the biggest difference between Vanitas and Sora was undoubtedly their personality. Vanitas was cynical, quiet, harsh (to some extent), and above all else, mysterious. He loved to play games. He loved to make people wonder. This mysterious charm of his is what had the ladies going mad back at CI headquarters –that and the fact that he was the brilliant mastermind behind the X-blade project for Caelum Industries.

"Because he _looooves_ her," Ven teased.

"I never said that!" fought Sora, "We were best friends once and I think she's, you know… attractive."

"Picture," Vanitas demanded from a separate couch with a snap, "now."

Sora managed to log into his facebook within seconds and handed his brother the laptop-like hologram device. Onscreen was a group picture from last night that Selphie managed to post two hours ago.

"Hm." Vanitas put on his reading glasses, placed his index finger on his chin and began nodding up and down. "Sora, does this picture happen to be photo-shopped by any chance?"

"No, why?" Sora asked innocently.

"Bang her," his brother immediately advised. "Bang her right now."

"Van!" Sora smacked him in the head disapprovingly.

"What? You wanted an honest opinion, right? I say bang her. She's smokin'. If you won't ask her out then I will."

"What? Let me see." Ventus pushed Sora aside to view the picture. He wolf-whistled shortly after. "Whoa, I agree. She's hot. No wonder Riku's interested."

"Okay let's _not_ fall in love with her now," Sora warned defensively. Vanitas snickered.

"All right Sora, if you want us to help, you'll have to tell us what your intentions are," Ventus ordered as he resumed his game.

"Intentions?" the youngest Hikari asked.

"What do you want with this girl?" Vanitas asked simply. "Do you want to go out with her or…?"

"I just want to assure her that I'm not a jerk," Sora answered.

"Well you're already halfway there aren't you? You did tell us that you two started over," Ven pointed out.

"But there's still a part of her that doesn't believe what I told her about mom and Olette's siblings," griped Sora.

"I think you're over-thinking this," Vanitas stated bluntly. "I think you should just go on that cruise and be your usual optimistic self. Don't play up some sort of angle, don't plan anything. Whatever happens happens. I'm sure she'll eventually let it go once she sees how naturally nice you actually are. Just go and have some fun, little brother. Don't let this ruin your summer."

So he and Vanitas pretty much had the same view on things for once. It was kind of scary.

"You're probably right," Sora admitted.

"I'm always right," Vanitas replied haughtily. "But I'm serious. If you're not going to ask her out I will."

"Van!"

* * *

><p>The day for departure came sooner than Kairi had anticipated. Before she knew it, she was staring up at the large five-star boat from the docks in awe. It had about ten floors at the <em>least<em> and had the name _Masamune_ neatly written in large, cursive font across the side.

Of course, out of the hundreds of cruise lines that existed in the galaxy, Selphie just had to choose _his_ cruise line.

"Where are Axel and Roxas?" Selphie asked when she realized that everyone else that agreed to meet here there was already present on the dock.

"Roxas just called and said that they're running a little late," informed Sora.

_Call ended._

"There better not be a lot of cops out this evening," Axel muttered as he floored the gas pedal. Roxas, who made the unfortunate mistake of taking shotgun, had his entire body pressed against the seat and held onto the window and gearshift for dear life.

"Axel, you might want to slow down," Roxas suggested, eyes wide in panic. "I mean, we're already late. You wouldn't want to get into more trouble, would you?"

"Calm your balls, Rox. Hug a palm tree. We're almost there. Besides, I don't see any cops arou-"before the pyromaniac could even finish his sentence, he could hear wailing sirens coming from the side of an intersection they had just passed. While Roxas began cussing under his breath, the redhead forcefully slammed his head onto the steering wheel and thought fast. "Roxas, behind your seat is a red duffel bag. Get it." The blond obediently did so. "Inside is a long black wig. Get that, too."

"A wig?" asked Roxas, bringing out said item with an unreadable expression. "I'm starting to question your sexuality here. Care to explain why you have a-"

"Now is not the time for these comments! Just put it on!" the pyromaniac ordered. Roxas shrugged and followed his best friend's orders. When Axel began to pull over on the side, Roxas asked how a girly wig could save them from their current predicament. Axel answered with a punch in the crotch. Roxas held his hands over that general area and cried out in pain. Axel moved swiftly and stuffed a volleyball up Roxas' stomach before turning to face the fast approaching officer. He knocked on Axel's window and ordered him to lower it while lowering his sunglasses.

"What seems to be the problem officer, uh," Axel squinted to see the policeman's nametag. "Villiers?"

"Care to tell me why you were doing 120 in a 45 zone, son?" asked the policeman.

"Well, as you can see officer, my wife is about to give birth, so naturally I'm just being an overly concerned husband that's trying to get her to the hospital as soon as possible," Axel answered while patting Roxas' belly. He was currently squirming in pain. "I know it hurts honey, but we have to wait until this dashing officer lets us go." Axel turned his attention back to the cop and put on the sweetest smile he could muster. "So how about it, officer? Will you let us go?"

The officer stood in place suspiciously for awhile, but he let them go with a stern warning, nonetheless. When the officer drove away and was out of earshot, Axel busted out laughing.

"What is so funny?" Roxas asked in between wheezes.

"You make a cute girl," was all Axel said.

Roxas narrowed his eyes as he removed the wig. "You tell no one about this, understand? _No one._"

* * *

><p>"So Roxas, I hear you're knocked up!" was the first thing Sora said the instant the two arrived at the lobby. The blond immediately stared daggers at his best friend who shrugged innocently.<p>

"Wow, I knew you two were best friends but I didn't know there were benefits!" Kairi teased. This joke earned her much appreciation and laughter. She inwardly sighed in relief. She was off to a good start.

"Okay guys I have our room keys right here," informed Selphie, passing around the various coloured cards from the front desk. Kairi didn't fail to notice that they were all situated on the eighth floor. The eighth floor held the Pearl suites and housed the rich and famous. It was almost like Sunset Hill itself, only condensed and on a boat.

"Good evening passengers, and welcome to the S.S. Masamune. Departure will be in five minutes, I repeat, five minutes," informed a female voice through the speakers. Her announcement was followed by a short beep.

"Come on guys, let's go see it from the deck," suggested Roxas. He laced his hands with Namine and led the way towards the elevators. It was when he and her cousin were side by side that Kairi noticed that they were always matching. While Namine donned a stylish nautical navy blue and white dress with red heels designed by her mother, Roxas wore a red golf shirt, a navy blue cardigan overtop, and white jeans to top it off. She thoroughly wondered if they planned it or if it was fate. She selected the latter for comfort.

When their fairly large group bunched themselves into one elevator, Sora found himself pressed next to Kairi against the glass portion of the elevator. Their cheeks weren't exactly touching glass, but they weren't exactly far, either. They were close enough to fog the glass with their breath.

As the elevator rose from the lobby, Sora watched Kairi from his peripheral vision. She had her hands and nose pressed against the glass in awe. In that moment she looked like a child –the same child that was appreciative of her surroundings and craved adventure. Sora found himself inwardly jumping up and down childishly –she was still, in a sense, his best friend.

Eventually the elevator reached the twelfth floor and was gladly emptied of its passengers. The deck, like majority of the ship, was outstanding. In the center lay an oddly shaped pool with decorative rocks, beach chairs, and numerous hot tubs. At the other end was a stage for special performances and parties. A DJ named Neku was currently doing his, quote gangster wannabes, 'thang' there. On the sides, teenagers and preteens were playing with the ping pong and foosball tables. At their end was a bar that served various drinks from smoothies to alcoholic beverages for people of age. Also along the sides were disco lights and spiral staircases led up to the second floor where the basketball and shuffleboard courts were situated alongside cheesy couples that watched the sunset on the sidelines.

Save the ship crew, people all around (children inclusive) were dressed in Twilight Town's latest summer trends. Kairi looked at her own attire and sighed in relief. Vanille had dressed her in a stylish yet comfortable outfit: a white spaghetti strapped tank topped with a thin, light pink button up, a slim light brown belt to define her curves, white cotton shorts, and her favourite pink winged sneakers. Luckily for her, Vanille had packed the rest of her outfits for the remainder of the week. Bless Vanille and her sensible fashion sense.

"We're moving!" yelled one of the military kids. It was the blond with the model potential surfer hair. Kairi, over time, came to know him as Tidus. He, like Selphie, also looked somewhat familiar.

Suddenly the ground shook from beneath Kairi's feet. She lost her balance for a second and shifted sideways –straight into Sora's muscular arms.

"Might want to grab onto the rails," he recommended with a chuckle. She nodded slowly and grabbed onto the rails for dear life per Sora's suggestion. There was something about him in that moment in time when she was in his arms –_something_ that felt… oddly familiar. She tried not to think much of it as she tried to keep her feet steady.

The ship began to accelerate, and by the time it reached full speed, they were meters away from the dock and the sun was more than halfway down the horizon. Kairi enjoyed the feel of the wind in her air and admired the view of the vast ocean and its waves. The sight reminded her of home and gave her a sense of freedom. Childhood days filled with laughter, shell collecting and raft building returned to her in fragments.

"Jack, I'm flying!" Namine suddenly exclaimed. She outstretched her arms over the rails as Roxas dramatically held her waist from behind. Kairi couldn't help but laugh. She was so glad that her cousin was starting to express herself in ways that didn't always involve pencil and paper.

Kairi continued to enjoy the view for a few more minutes until she felt like the ground was shaking so uncontrollably that it could split into two. Her head suddenly felt heavier, and before she knew it, she felt herself rocking side to side uncomfortably.

"Whoa, Kairi, are you okay?" asked a cute, ebony-haired girl. She was also a military kid. Kairi recalled her name being something along the lines of Xion.

"Oh? I'm, I'm," Kairi's hand flew to her aching head. "I'm fine."

"No you're not," Axel suddenly concluded. He grabbed her wrist and studied her closely. "You're getting seasick." He would know –he'd had it many times before seeing as he was accustomed to the opposite element.

"What? No I'm not!" Kairi denied. Being seasick in comparison to everyone who was completely calm made her feel like a weight that didn't need to carried.

"Yes, you are. We should get you to your room before it gets worse," Axel advised.

Kairi slapped his hand away from her wrist. "No, it's quite all right. Don't worry about me, Axel. It'll go away. I'll be fine."

* * *

><p>She wasn't.<p>

By ten minutes time Kairi was bedridden and felt as if her insides were threatening to come out. She lay in bed dizzy beyond belief and showed no signs of improvement over the last hour.

"Namine," the redhead croaked. Her cousin, currently sitting on the edge of her bed, immediately gave Kairi her undivided attention. "What time is it?"

"Eight twenty-three."

"You should get some dinner," Kairi suggested groggily. "Everyone else went to eat dinner. You should join them."

"I can always order room service, Kairi," Namine pointed out.

"No, I don't want you spending the start of your pre-party trip with your seasick cousin. I know you want to have a romantic candle light dinner with Roxas… plus everyone else."

Namine chuckled half-heartedly. "I'm quite all right taking care of you, thanks." A soft knocking on the door caught the girls' attention.

"I'll get it," Namine offered. She left the room and headed for the small foyer in the middle of their cozy temporary abode. She could faintly hear the sound of the door opening followed by Namine's suddenly excited voice. A familiar deep voice answered her in return. They exchanged a few words before Kairi could hear footsteps clacking against the hardwood floor again. Namine would not be alone when she returned.

"She's right in here," said Namine, opening the door for the unknown guest. When the guest walked through the door it was as if the room had gotten brighter. For a moment she forgot about her seasickness until reality came back and demanded her to wake up.

"Hey, Kairi," greeted the guest. She could hear the slightest bit of concern in his voice. When he approached her, it was as if it was happening in slow motion. It took years for him to reach the side of her bed, but she didn't mind waiting. She didn't mind it at all.

"Riku," she said weakly. Due to her distorted vision, she couldn't exactly see his face all too well or make out what he was wearing, but he was wearing a whole heck of a lot of white and his aquamarine eyes were just as mysterious and wonderful as she remembered. She couldn't recall ever seeing him at Sora's party or at the docks earlier, so this was the first time they had physically interacted in years. The thought made her happy and disappointed all at the same time.

It was great that they finally got to see each other again, but on the other hand, she had changed into her slummy Destiny Island T-shirt and shorts for comfort, her hair was a mess, and her face was probably a pale green colour. These were not the circumstances on which she wished to reunite with the celebrated Riku Masamune.

"You know what?" Namine suddenly asked. Her voice sounded playful and teasing. "I think I might take you up on that offer for dinner now, Kai. See you later!" The door closed within 5 seconds, giving Kairi no time to tell her otherwise.

"So I hear you're seasick," said Riku with a sad smile.

"I guess so," Kairi answered. "It sucks, Riku."

"Well don't worry about it too much," he advised. "Seasickness is completely normal for newbies, so don't beat yourself up because you think you're burdening everyone else with your sickness. It's happened to all of us at some point."

"It's like you read my mind," Kairi admitted with a chuckle.

"Well I know you very well, Kairi," he reminded with a smirk. Kairi shuddered in pleasure and thought about how many girls would kill to be where she was right at that moment. On the same bed with Riku Masamune, witnessing his perfection firsthand? Oh, mama.

"Listen," he suddenly said, taking one of her hands in his. Her heart stopped at how amazingly warm his hand was in comparison to her own. "I know we're both probably dying to catch up with each other, but I'm sorry to say that that conversation can't happen now. You're sick, you need your rest, and my brother needs me to make a guest appearance tonight. I just wanted to check up on you and tell you that if you need anything, you just give me a call, okay? I'll leave my number on your nightstand. Please don't hesitate to ask for anything, Kairi." She thanked him graciously.

"It was nice seeing you again, Riku," she said with a weak smile.

"It was nice seeing you, too, Kairi." He discreetly eyed her up and down with a chuckle. "You look good, by the way." Kairi rolled her eyes and threw a pillow at him with a red face. He laughed heartily while shutting the door behind him.

A smile graced its way onto Kairi's lips as she thought about her long haired friend for many minutes after his departure. The mere thought of his hand over hers was enough to let her fall into a blissful (albeit incredibly short) sleep.

When Kairi awoke again, all she could hear were crashing waves. All she could feel was the rhythmic movement of her bed bopping up and down due to said waves. It was soothing at first, but the more she thought of the bobbing, the more her insides wanted to come out.

"Oh," she moaned. Her hand immediately flew to her growling stomach. Here came her insides.

_Knock knock knock._

"Kairi?" asked a male voice on the other side.

"Who is it?" she asked groggily.

"It's Sora." Her heart stopped. "Can I come in?"

"U-uh…" She briefly remembered something Namine told her a few days ago.

_"Just give him a chance, Kairi. You promised me that you'd do just that. Just let this all go and start fresh. I know it may seem hard with all these mixed stories, but you can trust him. You can trust me. He really is much nicer than you think."_

She took a deep breath and exhaled. "Sure."

The instant he was granted permission to enter the premises Sora pushed aside the door and came waltzing in with a plate of what seemed like green apples and crackers.

"How are ya feeling?" he asked while setting a bottle of water down on the nightstand.

"Still seasick," she answered bluntly.

"Well believe it or not, I learned that green apples and crackers actually help with seasickness," informed Sora. He helped her sit upward so that her backside was to the headboard and placed the plate on her lap. "When I first got seasick, I was hanging onto the walls for dear life and pretty much thought I was a hopeless case until a waiter came and told me that green apples and crackers would help me. I was a little skeptical at first, but it turns out that it actually helps a lot. Try it."

"It was really nice of you to bring me this, Sora," Kairi admitted with a thankful smile, "but anything I eat will probably come right back out within seconds."

"It won't. Trust me," he said, nudging the plate of sliced apples and circular crackers. "You can trust me."

"_You can trust him."_

Kairi sighed and picked up an apple slice. While she examined the piece of fruit in between her thumb and index finger, Sora pulled up a stool and set it right at the edge of Kairi's bed. He eagerly rocked back and forth as he waited for Kairi to eat. Slowly but surely, she placed the food in her mouth. She immediately closed her eyes and pursed her lips.

Sora chuckled lightly. "Sour?"

"Mm," Kairi shook her head with her eyes still closed. When she re-opened them, her pursed lips had curved into a smile. "No, it's okay now. It's a good kind of sour."

"Now the crackers," reminded Sora. After Kairi stuffed the last half of the apple slice in her mouth, she bit into one of the circular crackers to mix their tastes. The combination tasted surprisingly good.

"Good?" Sora asked. Kairi nodded happily. She was starting to feel better already.

"Good," Sora replied as equally happy. "Oh!" Suddenly the brunet reached into the back pocket of his jeans. "Before I forget, here." He tossed Kairi something in a small transparent packet. She caught it with ease.

"A bracelet?" she asked while examining said item. It looked like a simple rubber bracelet –a simple _purple _rubber bracelet. People had always associated Kairi with the colour pink –how did Sora know her favourite colour was actually purple? Lucky guess, she figured with a slight shrug.

"It's supposed to be a balance bracelet," he claimed. "Personally I think it's all in your head, but hey, if it works, it works, right? You should put it on –you know, just in case. Might help you walk straight for a bit."

"Oh, thanks," she said, slipping on the bracelet. An unsure look began to plaster itself across her face as she played with the item on her wrist. "Sora, all of this was really nice of you, but…" She bit her lip anxiously. He wasn't going to lie –he found it highly attractive. "I hope you don't feel obliged to do all these nice things for me just because of… you know. I know I said I needed _some_ convincing, but I don't want you to worry about it 24/7. It makes me seem like such a princess."

Sora shook his head with an amused smile. "Don't worry about that, Kairi. I'm not doing this because I feel forced or anything. This is just how I am on a daily basis, I promise."

She continued the anxious lip biting. "Okay, if you're sure…" A few moments were spent in silence until the redhead decided to ask, "So how was dinner?" She contently munched on her food while waiting for his answer.

"Oh, it was pretty good," Sora answered bluntly. "We all ate at some nice seafood restaurant. You should go there some time. It's on the tenth floor."

"Oh, that sounds… good," Kairi replied awkwardly.

"Yeah," Sora agreed. "It was pretty entertaining, too. Some waitress tried hitting on Axel while taking our orders so he demanded Roxas to put his arm around him the whole time to convince the waitress that he was gay."

"Couldn't he have just said that he wasn't interested?" Kairi asked in between giggles.

"Nah, there's no fun in that," said Sora with a giggle. "Other than that, the food itself was pretty good, but I guess the best part of it all was that it was free," he admitted with a light chuckle.

"Free?" Kairi asked. "Can Riku really have that arranged?"

"Oh no, it's part of the package. All restaurant meals and buffets are completely free," he answered. Silence filled the room as Kairi swallowed her food.

"So uh, Riku," she suddenly brought up after swallowing. Sora stiffened –luckily Kairi was completely oblivious to that specific action.

"What about him?" he squeaked.

"What… what exactly is Riku to you?" Kairi asked with her head cocked curiously to the side. A redheaded nine-year-old girl with the same expression flashed into his head for a split second. He shook it off moments later.

"Riku? He's my best friend," Sora answered, though it didn't come with as much ease as he liked. In fact in felt like there was something stuck at the back of throat. "We've been friends since we were kids," he said while rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "Wh-what about you?" he decided to ask. "How do you know Riku?"

"Oh, we were childhood friends too," Kairi answered shyly. She continued to eat her food to occupy herself during the awkward silence. Sora, on the other hand, clenched his fists.

If only she knew.

If only he could forget.

He tried to find something –anything, really, to distract him from the events of three days ago. He searched her room desperately. It was almost exactly like his (he was going to be her neighbor for a week, after all), only mirrored with a vanity table in the corner. Other than that, the canopy bed, the cream coloured walls, the fancy velvet curtains, the elaborately designed carpets, the mahogany furniture, and the antique paintings –it was all the same. Besides, room talk would only keep him distracted for so long. He needed something better.

He suddenly took note of the shirt she was wearing; a loose, white tee with a faded logo of Destiny Academy's volleyball team. A light bulb lit up in his head. Destiny Academy. Destiny Islands. Home.

"You live on Destiny Islands, don't you?" he asked. She looked at him oddly for the sudden realization. "Your shirt…"

She looked at it briefly and smiled. "Yeah, why do you ask? Have you ever been there?"

He began rubbing the back of his again. "I, uh, I was actually born there." _And I was also your best friend, just saying._

"Oh?" She looked genuinely interested. "When did you move to Twilight Town?"

"Around when I was seven or eight," he answered. "Until then I lived on Wayfinder on the Main Island my entire life."

Kairi's eyes widened. "You lived on Wayfinder? I just lived down on Thalassa! We were only two streets away from each other!" She began giggling childishly. "Huh, what a coincidence!"

Sora let out a sad chuckle. "Yeah, coincidence."

"So have you ever been to the ice cream parlor down on the boardwalk of east beach?" Kairi asked innocently and excitedly. "The-"

" –Inside Scoop?" Sora finished. A smile returned to his face when he saw how animated Kairi looked about their conversation.

"Yes, oh my gosh, I go there all the time! My favourite flavor is-"

"Paopu strawberry?"

Kairi blinked twice. "How did you know?"

Sora shrugged with a playful smile. "It was one of my favourites, too," he lied.

"One of?" Kairi asked with playful suspiciousness.

"Tell me, Kairi, have you ever tried sea-salt ice cream before? It's one of Twilight Town's most famous delicacies."

Kairi looked as if she had just sucked on a sour lemon. "Sea-salt ice cream? That sounds really gross."

"Don't knock it 'til you try it," he said with a wink. "It is literally sex in the mouth." Kairi gasp-laughed and playfully hit him with a pillow at his inappropriateness.

They continued that way for awhile –comfortable conversations of home and random things mixed with subtle jokes. Unfortunately for Sora, though, the subject of their play island never surfaced, but on the bright side, Kairi found it surprisingly easy to make conversation with Sora. He had an optimistic and somewhat refreshing personality that kept her animated and interested in whatever they talked about. The bobbing of the boat no longer threatened the expulsion of her insides.

"Yes, anatidaephobia? It totally exists. The fear of being watched by a duck."

"No way," Kairi gasped, eyes skittish. "Why would you even-"

"You're_ still_ here?" came a shocked male voice from the doorway. It was Roxas with an amused Namine in tow. "Dude, its quarter to midnight."

"What?" Sora jumped out of the stool in genuine shock. He checked his watch and widened his eyes; they had been talking for nearly _three hours_. "So it is true." He looked at Kairi apologetically. "Sorry, Kairi, I didn't mean to stay so long-"!

"Its fine, its fine," she assured with a thankful smile. "Thanks for the bracelet and the food. I really do feel better now."

"Awe, that was nothing," he insisted while rubbing the back of his head awkwardly. "So, uh, I guess we'll be going now. We'll see you girls tomorrow?"

"Yup. Breakfast buffet on the deck," Namine answered while ushering the twins to the front door. "Goodnight."

Roxas quickly pecked her on the cheek. "Goodnight." Sora rolled his eyes and shoved his brother out the door. Namine giggled behind her hand. The instant she shut the door she sprinted towards her cousin's room with a smirk.

"So," the blonde began with an amused tone.

"So," Kairi answered while faking a yawn. "I think it's time for me to go to bed-"

"Oh no you don't!" Namine eagerly jumped on her cousin's bed and crawled over to her on all fours. "What happened between you and Sora, hm? He offered to help you at 9:03PM. It is now-" Namine stole a glance at her watch. "-11:46PM. Spill."

Instead of being intimidated by Namine's crossed arms and suspiciously raised eyebrows, Kairi crossed her own arms and smirked. Two could play at this game.

"Well first he brought me a plate of green apples and crackers," started Kairi, gesturing toward the now empty plate on her nightstand. "He insisted I eat them, but I refused, so he fed them to me."

"He _fed them to you_?" Namine squealed.

Kairi nodded and pretended to squeal herself. "It was really cute, Namine. You were right. He really is a lot nicer than I thought."

"Then what?" Namine grabbed her cousin by the collar and pulled her closer. "What happened?"

Kairi inwardly high-fived herself. Namine was falling for it hook, line, and sinker. "Then he gave me this bracelet-" she flashed her cousin the bracelet, "-and told me that it was a balance bracelet. He said it would help keep me steady for awhile, but he offered to, quote, 'catch me whenever I fell'."

Namine squealed even more. "Subliminal messages already!"

"Then he went up and kissed me and we had make up sex for _hours_ and oh, Namine, it was amazi-"

"Kairi!" Namine whined, hitting her head with a pillow. "That wasn't cool!"

"It was pretty cool to me," Kairi laughed.

"Oh?" Namine smirked. "Then how _cool _do you think it would be if I told Sora that you think make up sex with him would be amazing?"

Kairi turned red. "Okay, okay, you got me there. It was just a joke, but you win, you win."

"So what _really_ happened?"

"He just brought me a harmless plate of green apples and crackers and we just… talked for awhile," Kairi answered simply.

"Three hours isn't awhile, Kairi. What did you two talk about?"

"To be honest with you, I don't even know," Kairi admitted with a chuckle. "I don't remember half the things we talked about since it was all so random, but it was nice –really nice. Now don't misinterpret this or anything, but I just have this… _familiar_ feeling around him, you know? Like I know him. I guess that it's because we have the same upbringing. We're both from Destiny Islands –isn't that a weird coincidence?"

Namine rolled off the bed with an amused smile. "Yeah. Coincidence." She stretched and started heading for the door. "I'm really glad to see that you two are on better terms now." Kairi agreed with a nod and a small smile. "Well I'm beat," Namine confessed with a genuine yawn. "We'll talk more tomorrow, sound good?"

"Sounds great," Kairi answered. "Sweet dreams, Namine."

"You too," she replied before shutting the door, the lights, and heading over to her room on the other side.

Kairi lay in bed awake for awhile, re-thinking the events of that night as she stole a glance at the digital clock on her nightstand. It read 11:53PM in bright red. Riku's phone number could briefly be seen just in front of the clock. Did she and Sora really speak for nearly three hours? Three effortless hours? She had never had a conversation for so long without getting bored. She found herself smiling as she pulled the covers up to her shoulders.

Maybe, just maybe, Namine was right. Maybe Sora wasn't so bad after all.

The rhythmic bobbing of the boat became soothing once again as Kairi fell into a deep, relaxing sleep.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Inspirations: <strong>Always-_ Panic! At the Disco, _Tongue Tied-_ Grouplove, _Good Time-_ Owl City ft. Carly Rae Jepsen_

**Hooray for early updates! I meant for this chapter to come out a little later, but I found myself working on it a lot more than I should, so hey, here it is! Hope you all enjoyed it! The next chapter is well on its way idea-wise, so I'm guessing I'll update this first before Teenage Wasteland… again lol. **

**So how is everyone's summer? I hear so many of you have Dream Drop Distance! You are so lucky. I don't own a 3DS so unfortunately, I can't play it. I heard it was so good though! I'll be sure to watch the footage on kh13 when it comes out in English lol. I saw a few scenes already, though. Who freaked when they heard Axel say "My name is Lea, got it memorized?" Asdfghjkl. **

**So instead of playing Dream Drop Distance, I've been playing real life Modern Warfare. Just like last year, a mutual friend of my cousin and I had a party, so we all loaded our nerf guns (you wouldn't believe how many attachments some of the younger boys have here –red dot sight, scopes, pistols? What do kids play with these days?), got up in our armour (I even painted those black war lines on my face lol) and had an all out war in the dark with epic music blasting on the speakers. I was such a kid, but it was hella awesome. **

**Special thanks to the following users for reviewing the last chapter: **Sypherianlp, spellbound aka Soragirl4ever, XxThe-Crest-of-AnubisxX, mrkhrules, hiddensecret546, worksof, TheDarkNinjaPanda17, the ultimate kh fan, Bond of Frost, Asb227, Kimmosaur, EternallySky, monkmonkeys, Mokimoki-chan, Moon Princess016, Keyblades of Oblivion, Kuroiikawa, Q-A the Authoress, DragoNik, Jared Someone (I really appreciate the shrine btw :3), and 8989 Treasured Moments

**It's getting a lot easier to make those now since I'm starting to memorize all your usernames lol. I'm sorry I haven't had a chance to reply to any of your reviews yet, but since this chapter came super soon, I'll be sure to reply to them now since I know most of you didn't get a chance to review the last chapter yet :P**

**So anyways, I hope you guys take care and continue to enjoy your summer!**

**xoKyorii**


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